Viva Chile, Segment 3: Why Paula Is My Hero

Visiting Paula and her family was like a dream. We hugged and laughed and talked of our time spent together, now five years back. There was that time when they borrowed my hair straightener and it almost burnt the house down, and the baptism of that beautiful family, and oh those Saturday morning aerobics classes that we taught! (How do you say "hamstring curl" in Spanish?)

They gushed over the pictures of our little boys, but when I inquired about the rest of their family, the conversation turned somber. A family tragedy. Shocking, devastating news. All I could do was sit there and cry and whisper, "lo siento," because I really did feel it.

So now everyone is crying and attentive to Paula who has had to shoulder this awful burden, and then I realize that somehow she is the one who is smiling and reassuring everyone else that everything will turn out just fine. Her faith in God is firm, she says, and all that matters is that she has chosen to follow Him and will continue to do so. She is smiling because she truly believes that His love for her is never-ending, and that He has a place prepared for her. She even comments that perhaps she'll spend the next life with a companion more suited to her, and that she and Patrick Swayze would make an excellent match.

So how is it that I totally lost my cool today when Carson scribbled all over an important project, yet Paula has a smile on her face during a major life trial? I sure have a lot to work on, and Paula, you are my hero.