Famous Latter-day Saints

Marie Osmond Shares How a Demanding Church Calling Helped Her Battle Postpartum Depression

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Recently, Marie Osmond shared a story on Facebook, one that might sound familiar to many of you. 

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. . . .
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. . . .
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate to describe such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
Epilogue
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. Today is a gift, that’s why it is called the present.

After sharing this story, Marie Osmond goes on to share her own, very personal experience of how she found light in her darkest times.

The blind man's darkness became the other man's light.
This story clearly shows that the man that could not see did not let his personal challenges affect his attitude. Instead, he made the decision to positively uplift and continually serve his roommate by bringing the other man joy... despite his own moments of darkness.
When I battled postpartum depression, and in the midst of this challenging trial, I was asked to serve in a demanding church calling for a large group of young women. I learned a great lesson that God wanted me to learn by saying "yes" to this calling. Rather than drown in my own sorrow, which would have been so easy to choose, I learned that the best thing I could ever do to lift myself out of my darkness was to serve others who were struggling. It was the final healing step in being freed from that terrible grasp of depression.
I truly know that in the midst of our own challenges or trials, hope is always on the horizon. God gives us the ability (free will or agency) to choose light over darkness.
As we choose to uplift others, we lift ourselves. By serving others, we serve our God. By making a choice to see the positive, we help others do the same. Our faith in Jesus Christ reminds us to never give up. If we lift our eyes upward to see Him and use our ears to truly hear the promptings of the Spirit, we can open windows of opportunity to be charitable and see others through God's eyes. #Happy #Sunday! #HisDay #windowtoheaven #charity #love

Lead image from CBS News.
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