Love Stories

Last night I stayed up a little bit too late...watching videos on the Youtube Mormon Channel.  The videos I was watching were snippets of interviews with various church leaders and their spouses, telling the stories of our they met and fell in love.  I found it uplifting to hear these success stories of couples who have stayed together for so many years.

Here are some of those videos, each of them about 3 minutes long.

Elder and Sister Christoffersen

Elder and Sister Hinckley

Elder and Sister Bowen

Sister and Brother Wixem

Elder and Sister Hallstrom

Elder and Sister Walker (Elder Walker spoke at the most recent CES fireside)

Elder and Sister Clayton

I found them very uplifting and inspiring and kept watching more and more.  As a single woman who is yet to find her 'happily ever after', it warmed me to hear the simplicity of many of their stories.  Although I don't live in an area with a high LDS population, I know that everyone's story is different, and I look forward to the day when I find someone compatible and willing to spend the rest of their life with me.  Thanks in advance!

Some of you may feel that all of these stories of young love may be unrealistic.  Not too long ago, Kristen M. Oaks, wife of Elder Dallin H. Oaks, gave a great talk at the CES fireside sharing her story.  Being 53 years old when she finally found love and married, she gives great advice to those who have not had the luck of finding a spouse during their young adult years.  I love that she's not a seasoned public speaker, and her manner is quite unpretentious and natural.  It shows she is human and allows the average person to be able to relate to her more.  My favourite line from this talk is: "If you cannot bear the difficulties and challenges of single life, you will never be able to bear the difficulties and challenges of married life."  It reminds us to make the most of life, no matter what our circumstances, and that marriage alone does not bring happiness.

Kristen M. Oaks "To The Singles Of the Church" 

(15 mins long, including intro for Elder and Sister Oaks)

Whether or not you have found your "happily ever after,"  I hope you will be warmed by these stories and feel a hope for the future.  I also hope that you will be inspired by Kristen's words to make the most of life no matter what your circumstances.