I remember hearing about the people she lived with. She always said that they were the nicest people she had ever known. I didn't believe her of course; these nice people had to be hiding something. What did the want from her? Why would they invite a complete stranger such as herself to live with them?

    I purposely put off meeting my girlfriend's friends. First off I couldn't believe that they were letting her stay at her house for free and that they didn't have some serious flaw. Secondly, I figured I was only interested in her, not her weird "Utah-Mormon" friends. She continued to ask me to come over to the house to meet her exceptionally kind friends, and I continued to decline.

    Eventually, my girlfriend and I became more serious than I had originally planned; I really enjoyed the time we spent together. I knew if I wanted to get to know her any better, however, I would eventually have to go to her house and meet these strange people. i dreaded it. Part of me knew that I couldn't help but analyze them. The other part of me felt like maybe I was being judged. It was going to be awkward.

    When I first met the mother of the house she was preparing to leave on a date with her husband. "Thank goodness," I thought to myself. I wouldn't have to deal with them the whole night. I briefly met the father next and we sat down for a simple dinner which my girlfriend had prepared. The next thing I knew, the mother and father were off, and we were left with the son, who paid us little attention. All in all, the evening wasn't as awkward as I thought. Almost enjoyable, I suppose.

    They weren't bad people, I just couldn't figure out what they could possibly want from my girlfriend. Something seemed off. As we continued to date, I went back to the house on many occasions. They invited me over for Sunday dinners and Monday evening activities. We actually seemed to get along, and to be honest, they were much more accepting of me than I was of them.

    My girlfriend lived in that house for about a year, and in that time she became very close to the family. She started calling them her "Utah family". When we were married they bought her a dress and held a reception in their back yard. These were only some of the amazing acts of kindness and charity the provided for her. And not ONCE did they ever ask for anything in return from her or me.

    If you have read this far, and are now wondering what the point of this story is, let me just tell you. The point is that some people really know how to love other people. They know how to be charitable to everyone. I am still in awe at the fact that there may be more than on family like the one I am here describing, because I am not that kind of person. I really thought that every one who gave wanted something in return. But this family and their kindness to everyone who walked in to that home has proved me wrong.

    I read a blog from http://www.iwillnotbestill.blogspot.com/ and found the topic of Choosing to Love very proper. I don't think that this family is more simple than I am. They have disappointment, heartache and difficulties the same as everyone else. But they choose to try to love the people they meet. They chose to even accept a skeptic like me. I truly thank God for the opportunity I have to meet good people who know how to love.

Tags: Love How To Love Learn To Love Utah Mormon Utah Family

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