Life has been fantastic. It truly has. Last week I had the opportunity to drive to Salt Lake for conference and experience it live. There were so many great messages given and I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt that these men are ordained of God. There was one talk that spoke about The Prodigal Son story found in The Bible. Elder Nielson spoke about his sister and the years his family spent waiting for her to return. Sometimes in life we may feel like giving up hope on people, and more times then not they don't want our help nor our sympathy, but I got the impression that no matter how long it takes, we can never give up hope on others. And when they do choose to return home, we need to accept them with open arms. I have seen this in my life and I know that God is great and if he who bore all our pains can forgive us completely, then I can forgive too. There were far more wonderful talks but it would take too long to try to cover them all. You can read more of them here.
Chris received his mission call this week! What was interesting was that I wasn't even suppose to be home but a couple weeks ago Patricia text me saying that she wanted to change our travel plans a touch since she no longer had the week following conference off. That was fine by me and I felt like it was a smart choice for both of us. Then on my way home I got a text from Chris saying that he had received his mission call early and when I got back to Canada he wanted me to come over so I could watch him open it. It was perfect timing and nothing short of God's hand in my opinion. When it's suppose to happen things fall into place :). I will be so blessed to have both brothers out by the end of the summer! I have already seen Eric's growth and I know that although I miss him, he is where he is suppose to be. I can't wait to see the same growth in Chris.
This week we also welcomed in a new Stake President. The love I feel for my previous Stake President is overwhelming. He was with me through the most difficult time of my life. He knew everything about what was going on behind closed doors and I never felt once that he was listening because he had to, I knew that he truly cared for me and wanted nothing more then to let me know that he cared for all of us involved. He became a big part of my life and seeing him move on to a different calling was hard for me. As he was leaving on Sunday he stopped by my family to talk to us and with tears in all our eyes we told him how important he is to us and he told us how important we are to him too. I know he will forever be a big part of my life and I know that he will do great things for many more.
My main concern when I heard his name announced to become an Area Seventy in General Conference was that the next Stake President wouldn't know me or anything from my past. And quite honestly I didn't feel like explaining it again. But here's the interesting thing...when they announced the name of the new one I knew that God had heard and answered my concerns. The new Stake President is very much aware of me and was there with the previous Stake President to give Ayla the last blessing she had on this earth. He saw her two days before she died and he knows me. I know that every one probably feels that God answered them individually but I knew in that instant that it was for me. It is such a great feeling to know that even though we may not always feel it, God hears us.
Now on a totally different note I want to write briefly about a lady who's blog I have followed for quite some time now. From the moment I found her blog I have read every update and found myself becoming more and more invested in her story. I have been meaning to write about her for quite some time but haven't got around to it. And every time I try, I find myself overwhelmed at the love and compassion this great woman shows.
Her name is Ashlee and she is incredible. One night four years ago she got a knock on the door that changed her life forever. In those few minutes she found that her inclining's were true, her husband was indeed bring unfaithful. Not only that but he had been murdered. Her blog takes us as readers through pain, forgiveness, and hope.
To describe in words the sympathy I feel is impossible. She has endured more than anyone I know, the grace and love she has shown is miraculous. I may have experienced pain and loss but reading her words make me realize that I was lucky in so many ways.
I don't know her personally but I feel like because she has opened herself up to the Internet world she had allowed us to experience all aspects of her healing process. It is has been such a wonderful gift for me to read her words and through her thoughts and feelings sort through my own.
The past couple years have been filled with ups and downs and for the most part I have worked through them. But there are days where the specifics are brought forward in my mind and I remember the days so long ago that I had felt completely alone. It is often on the days that I feel the most down that Ashlee comes out with a new blog post. She truly has a way with words and it's exactly what I need to read. It's not just her words, it's usually a combination of things but her posts tend to get me into the right mindset to listen to what God is trying to tell me.
The future seems so much brighter lately.
Ashlee is holding a conference in a couple months and she entitled it; A Reason to Stand. Since I am unable to attend the conference I have still been contemplating what exactly I stand for. In thinking through this I have come up with this simple list and feel now is a good time to share it:
I stand...
-for love and forgiveness
-for my future
-so my daughter and I will be reunited again
-so others can feel comfortable enough to crumble knowing that I want to help lift them
-for my eternal family
-because I know that life will always get better
-firm in my values, not because I have to, but because I want to
-because I know what it's like to feel alone and I don't ever want someone to feel that way
-so Satan will wake up every day fearing what good I may do.
And finally...I stand because I know that I am not standing alone.
Thanks for tagging me! I loved this post and the words you shared about my journey. I needed that tonight. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI stand with you!