The Rest of the Story

When we put our house on the market back in October, I quickly discovered that selling and moving was going to be a definite trial in our lives. As I mentioned here, I wanted to figure out the lesson to be learned, get the trial over with, and move on with our quiet little lives full of the typical challenges of a young family. You know, things like cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night. When November and December came and went I was still hopeful that my earnest and specific prayers that our house would sell and we could move before the baby was born would be answered. When January came and went my hope was crushed. I  held on with faith that felt weak and immature.

Putting into words my feelings and emotions through this time is hard for me. It's hard because I want the reader of this post to get an honest understanding of how I felt and to appreciate what I went through. I realize that I can't do that because this was my trial. This was my challenge. These were my lessons to be learned. Normally when I come to this conclusion I will turn to my hard copy journal, the place that I write my sacred feelings that are only mine to savor, reflect, and remember, a place where they are safe from any judgment. Yet, I feel that need to share this here.

It's not the trials that I need to share. It's the blessings that accompanied them.

Like the moment in January when my discouragement peaked and I stood at my kitchen counter trying to be brave, but not sure where I would find the strength to face the rest of the day. Then my phone chimed that I had a text message from my father, "Your dad loves you and is praying that all goes as it should ... maybe not as planned, but for the best for the family." Moments later I checked my e-mail to find a thoughtful note from a friend offering to help in anyway that I needed it. Then a blog post from another dear friend that reassured me that I am in her thoughts and prayers. In those brief minutes I knew my Father in Heaven was ever present in my life and very aware of the struggles that I was enduring.

Countless times this same reassurance was present in my day. Being led to just the right conference talk during my scripture study, listening to interviews on Mormon Channel that could have been given just for me, dinner from a friend, phone calls, timing of showings.

Mosiah 24:14 "And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs ... that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions."


to be continued ...