When we were on our mission I came across the amazing story of NieNie.



Stephanie Neilson is a young mother of four who lives in Utah. She is a blogger with a HUGE following. I wrote about her amazing spirit when she and her husband were involved in a plane crash and she suffered burns over 80 percent of her body.


I remember the first time I read her blog even before she had her plane crash how her amazing spirit spoke to me.



I remember how moved I was as I read about how she felt about her role as a wife and mother. She wrote about the everyday things young mothers experience. One of the first post I read was about how she had celebrated the first day of school with her children. She wrote about spending time at the family ranch, her devotion to her husband that she calls Mr. Nielson.

But what I remember most is how POSITIVE she was not only about her family but about her life.

One thing that really stood out was how she posted so many candid self portraits. She wasn't always perfectly made up with stylish matching outfits. She didn't always capture a perfect pose but what she captured was the beauty of her life. NIE NIE likes to wear colorful clothing, bright red lipstick, and pretty shoes. see here.

There were post that she took close up shots of her cute face covered in freckles, or her wonderful red lips. I remember sitting in my small little apartment in Ukraine and wondering "how does someone develop such a strong sense of self?"

Maybe we all have it but loose it along the way

When I watch my 5 year old granddaughter Monroe I see she has that magical sense of self

She likes to see herself in the mirror.

She smiles, twist and turns her little body to see all the beautiful angles

She likes to see what she looks like when she has new clothes on

She likes herself

I want to be more like Nie Nie and my little granddaughter


I want to look in the mirror and see the god given beauty I have been given

I want to see the light within

that reminds me of who I truly am

a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father

I have been blessed to be a wife and mother

I am oh so grateful for this wonderful blessing

I have often thought about Stephanie Nielsen this past year as she has learned to endure life in a new body. Each day she struggles to do the everyday things she loved doing for her family. Each small task is a challenge. She has to endure physical pain every day. She has had to endure painful operations, time away from her sweet family. She has had to move out of the home she had come to love in Arizona to be near her family in Utah. She longs to have another baby but is unable to at this time.

I have thought about the things we all endure in our lives. Each of us will have our own personal struggles but we have a choice how we will respond. We can choose each day if we want to be happy or to be sad and discouraged. The beauty we reflect on the outside is really a result of our reaction to the challenges we face. NIE NIE is teaching ME that beauty truly is not what is on the outside. Her spirit shines today as brightly as it shined before the plane accident.She is teaching the WORLD that the beauty we possess comes from a place within each of us.

If you want to read more about this amazing woman go here or watch the video below to see how she has transformed her life since the plane crash that changed her world

DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE BLOG MUSIC ON PAUSE TO LISTEN TO THE VIDEO