ANYTHING FOR A FRIEND EVENT!

I can’t believe it! The event came, SO HAPPENED, and is now over except for a few loose ends. It was an absolutely incredible evening full of family and friends, and some of the most overwhelming feelings that I have ever felt. I would like to share some of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences from the evening.

Denise, Brenda, and all of their organizing committee’s were able to get into the Union Station at 10am, which they did with a vengeance. By the time I got there, they had the lay out complete, tables up, and were bringing to life the event of a lifetime.

I walked through the doors and was immediately swept away with emotion and nostalgia; it felt like I was walking into a second wedding reception…except for a few details…it was bigger than our original reception, it was decorated in pink, and I had (have) no HAIR! But, like our wedding day, it was bursting over with loved ones, high emotion, and a captivating air of change and transformation.

I continued my stroll down memory lane as I looked at the structure of the Union Station itself, with the old rail cars parked just outside the front door and the new Front Runner train thundering through just outside the back door. I wondered about the memories that were housed within this building, realizing that it was formerly the JUNCTION of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads and has been serving as a meeting place since 1869. My mind was caught up in the word JUNCTION (a place or point where things meet or converge) and had very little idea at that point how much this destination would serve as a JUNCTION between my current and former life.

There were four main areas of the Union Station that would serve as the backdrop of my life’s convergence: The Browning Theater, the Theater Annex, the Breezeway, and the kitchen. At 11am these four areas were buzzing with activity. The decorating committee was the first that I bumped into in the Breezeway and the Browning Theater. It was the most amazing thing to see! They were creating beautiful groupings of family photos with thought provoking quotes, unique and extraordinary center pieces, and magnificent special effects; all splashed with pink. I couldn’t believe the talent and selflessness of my friends and family and it served as the first JUNCTION between my past and current life as I watched good friends from high school working side-by-side with good friends from my present neighborhood. I took a deep breath in and thanked Heavenly Father for their goodness.

I walked from the Browning Theater into the Breezeway and was absolutely blown away! The auction committee had been busy indeed…There were tables set up beside tables, and it seemed to go on forever and ever with the accompanying baskets, jewelry, bird houses, quilts, and goodies. They had set up command central and were still making even more baskets and writing even more bid sheets. It was craziness! There again, the coming together of new friends with old and dear friends, all feverishly working alongside each other, laughing and smiling, filling the room with warmth and love. I felt so blessed.

This is where I first saw Brenda and Denise. They had determination etched on their faces and were in their element as they organized what had been in their hearts and minds for several months of time. I recognized that they were both PAST and PRESENT for me…they had created this JUNCTION; they had been there and would be there. I wanted to hug them both tightly and share the insight, but was well aware that they were busy beyond the mark.

The morning and afternoon continued to move forward and so did the preparations. The infamous “Kid’s Korner” arrived in all its glory with paint, and toys, and games, all housed in the undeniable allure of popcorn and cotton candy. My family manned this post and it became symbolic of all of the love, comfort, and relief that they have given throughout this journey. They are incredible blessings in my life and I will be forever grateful for their love.

Who could forget about the kitchen committee? Their planning and preparation began to unfold in the heat of the kitchen and I was overwhelmed as I saw a special and unique JUNCTION occurring from my life. Working beside each other, laughing, problem solving, and getting burns :)…were three women who have impacted my life at different times and different seasons, they were my sweet mom, Denise’s mom, Valerie, and Brenda’s mother-in-law, Jacci. They have all nurtured and loved me for many years; some of those years intersecting and some independent of the others, but on this special day they had all come together (with many other hands) to produce love and support in the form of a spaghetti dinner. Their quiet service will be burned (no pun intended!) into my heart and mind forever.

Lastly, but certainly not least was the ‘Alpine Army’ that descended upon the Union Station. This was an incredible coming together of my heart’s work from the past, with my present. I worked for Utah Youth Village for a decade and during my tenure was asked to help head up a Private Residential Treatment center for girls all over the nation (Alpine Academy). This endeavor occupied my mind and heart for the better part of five years and when I saw and hugged many of my old friends, who had brought these sweet and endearing girls from Alpine, I thought my heart would burst! I feel so thankful for the love and sacrifice of my Village family and recognize their service and love as a powerful JUNCTION between the past and present!

It is difficult to put into words the healing hugs, intimate conversations, and life altering acts of kindness that were rendered at the event. Please do not read the lack of written word as a lack of sentiment…Justin and I will be forever grateful for all the small and large acts and will hold them forever in our souls!

So as to not overwhelm, I will be sharing different experiences over the next couple of weeks. Here is the first: The Live Auction had started and I was looking around the room packed full of people and a buzz of excitement had filled the room. Kevin, the auctioneer, then announced that we would be bidding on the children’s art pieces.

Memories of the night the art was created came to my mind and I specifically remembered my duty to help the three 4 year olds (Eli, Jaxon, and Nick) with the painting that would later be titled, “Healing Hands”. Ironically, my hands had been burning and incredibly painful that entire week and I remember smiling to see my baby, and nephews move their hands through the cool paint making beautiful and unique imagines, which ran from one canvas to the other forming a JUNCTION between the three paintings. It made me forget about the pain for a while and I was so thankful.

These pleasant memories were soon replaced with the fact that I would quite possibly never see the painting again; I felt sad as the bidding started. Denise and Scott must have had similar thoughts and feelings and they started to bid on the piece. Every time Scott would put a bid in, a young man at the back of the room would bid higher and it went back and forth until the man at the back of the room was not even sitting down any more and took the bid from $800 to $1000. Scott knew he was defeated.

Incredibly, my heart sank and soared at the same time and I couldn’t believe the generosity of the supposed stranger at the back of the room. Then it happened! The powerful JUNCTION between events in my past and the present all culminating when a larger than life figure arose from the young man’s table and I finally recognized him as the father of an extraordinary young women that I had worked with a few years ago. He walked to the front of the room to pay for the painting. Tears were already coming down his face when he arrived at the table and he took me in his arms and simply said, “We want you to have it. Thank you for all you’ve done for our family.”

My heart dropped right into my stomach and tears sprung from my eyes and I just hugged him as tight as I possibly could. I needed him to feel my thankfulness. Could he feel it through a simple hug? How could he have known how much that painting meant to me? My body was shaking with overwhelming emotion. How could he know the magnitude of joy it would bring to my heart? I will treasure this incredible gesture for the rest of my life and count myself blessed.

I believe that Heavenly Father creates JUNCTIONS: places or points where things meet or converge in all of our lives because he loves us, and it may not come in the form of a 1,000 people coming together at one time, in one place, for one event, but it may take the form of one person, at one time, following through on one prompt…it could be a letter to a dear friend from long ago, a chance meeting on a hard day, or a simple smile. Whatever the form or circumstance, Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to progress, He recognizes the powerful memories housed in the “old rail cars” parked in our minds and sees the potential in us all to create the necessary forward motion of the “Front Runner”; both the old and the new forming a JUNCTION to a bigger and brighter potential for us all.

I will NEVER forget April 17th, 2010…its convergence changed my mind and my heart forever. I hope and pray that ‘Anything for a Friend’ will be like that Front Runner train rumbling on bringing this type of relief to many families in need. Thank you all. May God bless you for your goodness and sacrifice.

Love Forever,

Becky

'Mom's Heart' Moment:  Isaac had been enjoying the festivities of the evening and was completely spent.  He ended up falling asleep and was placed on one of the auction tables...There was a bid sheet placed by him...the bids started at 2 million!