So Very Thankful

I love my blog...it is my way to share what I have inside with myself, with my sweet family, and my dear friends. I have been through what was, for me, the greatest trial of my life...my sweetheart being so far away and for fifteen whole days...To some, this is nothing, but to me, this was an eternity. I thought it would be difficult, but not as difficult as it turned out to be. The experience now qualifies as my greatest time of adversity in my life. Yes, even raising teenagers and living with their choices pales in comparison to what I personally, privately endured while being away from him. But isn't it the most amazing thing...Heavenly Father uses these times of adversity to teach us, to better us, to bring us higher. I never, ever will doubt that my Savior carried me through these times.Remember that old story about the footprints in the sand? Well, I have no doubt that there were only one set of footprints in the sand for the time he was away. I am so thankful for a loving Savior who carried me when I felt lost and alone. I am also grateful for the many, many answers to my prayers throughout Dee's absence...we were all safe...only a few problems the last day he was away, and now he brought a bug home with him and we are working on his recovery, but at least he is here for me to help him get better. Through my sadness came, also, answers to long prayed prayers. I had lost direction in my life and had been seeking the way to go now. I received those answers, and now have a direction to work on, a goal in mind, and I just have to pursue the things that I felt good about before. I wanted to do photography...but I am just not that good at it yet, and I couldn't afford a class now...Boom! another answer to prayer in Jannicke and a photography club at Church! I knew we wanted to serve a mission someday...and the answer came to me that I am to put money I earn toward a mission that we will serve...and, get this, I feel that we will serve in India! (for those who were at Mimi's Cafe with me a couple of weeks ago when I said I would NEVER set foot in India EVER...I guess I am going to eat some words along with that salad!) Dee felt the same way, a few days after I did, and when he shared it with me, it was as if the flood gates had opened up. I shared my feelings with him, and it was as if the miles between us were nothing. Now, my task ahead is to prepare for a mission. Our finances are tight, with Dee as our only income, and he works his fingers to the bone for us, so I now have a task...to spend the next few years ahead working and saving for our goal, and preparing for this mission so I can share the Gospel with the wonderful people of India, as well as other places we may get to go. I know I have rambled quite a bit, but this was just testimony to me of how the Lord blesses us so much, but it is when we are at our lowest, and when we are the most humble, that we are the most teachable. He hears and answers our prayers, we just have to listen.