Austin's Version - Part of his Stake Conference talk

 

On the evening of October 2, I sat on the couch talking on the phone with our daughter, Hanna, who is attending school in Utah. Kaylynn was at the Stake Centre at choir practice, and Lucy and Carly, our two girls at home, lay on the floor listening to my conversation with Hanna, when out of the blue, Lucy said, “Dad, mom just texted and she has been in a car accident, come.” My first reaction was that they must have hit an animal, so I casually ended my conversation with Hanna, found some shoes, and told the other girls to stay here while and I’ll go see what is going on.  My level of concern quickly went to red as I stepped outside and could then hear the noise and sirens of emergency responders.

The accident was only a mile from our home. I quickly drove out of the driveway and started up the road, as I approached line of cars that had already stopped, I realized I could get no closer in my car so I pulled over to the shoulder and parked. I started on foot. As I approached the peak of the small hill, not knowing what I would see in just a few more steps, I was stopped and asked if I was medical support. My reply was, no I am one of the husbands. In a few steps as I crested the hill, I could suddenly see the severity of the crash, all of the sights, sounds and smells of the tragic car collision. I continued to walk toward the car my wife was the passenger in.

As I approached the car, in a flash, suddenly all of the podcasts, talks, keynotes and books I had ever read or listened to on wellness, anxiety, stress and resilience entered my mind. Then a few short breaths, and a quick “you got this speech” and I continued toward the crash site. My thoughts today are focused around my personal speech of “you got this.”

***Then his talk was on 5 steps of spiritual resilience.***

As I continued my walk towards the crashed car, I was approached by members of the Leavitt Ward and the Mountain View Ward who were first on the scene, and they told me Kaylynn was talking and was okay. As I approached the car, two very kind and gentle first responders stepped back to allow me to see Kaylynn. She looked at me and said, I’m okay, and then I looked across the car at Barb Salmon, the driver of the car who was in worse condition, but still okay.

Life’s challenges, both physical and spiritual, can push us to our breaking points. Building a foundation of spiritual resilience can keep us in the moment and remind us that, “We got this.”