catching up!

So many crazy things have happened in my life over the past 2 years. Through some of my trials I told myself that I need to write things down:trials I went through,the lessons I have learned, goals I was going to make, and all of the things I was thankful for. I was only good about it for a while...which seems to be my pattern with journaling. Maybe blogging from my phone will make my entries more consistent. I always have my phone with me (isn't that sad!) And can type with my thumbs faster than most can with all of their fingers (again, not a skill I am very proud of). Now to the things I wish I had written down.
1)Trials:
Until October of 2006...my biggest trial was probably something friend or math related. I will never forget that month though. First, grandma passed away. Its never easy losing a loved one but we were happy that she was finally comfortable again. It made it easier to think about her reuniting with grandpa. Sometimes I still try and imagine what that moment felt like for them. Next is the one most difficult to talk about....even after all this time has passed. The night I drove home from grandma's funeral in utah, my husband confronted me and asked for a divorce. Wonderful timing to pull the rug out from under me. I won't get into the details because it isn't a story that promotes warm-fuzzy-feelings. Just know that divorce is a disgustingly painful thing to experience. And last but not least, my big brother had mentioned to us at grandma's funeral that his hearing in his left ear was fading. He went to the doctor and later that month we found out that he needed to have a tumor the size of a golf-ball removed from his brain...as soon as possible. How does a family handle a month like that? I can honestly only explain that by telling you about the miraculous blessings that followed the scariest month of my life.
2)I am so thankful!:
I don't even know where to begin! I have always been blessed beyond what I feel worthy of. A couple of days after I had returned home from the funeral, my sister helped me find an apartment. My wonderful landlord wanted to move me in as fast as she could...so there was some cleaning that I needed to do, from the last tenants, before I could move in. There I was...standing in an empty apartment with hot-soapy water, a sponge, and a broken heart. I felt overwhelmed. I had lots of cleaning to do before I could move in. On top of things...I needed to be out of my old apartment the next day and hadn't even started packing. I had no one to help me move all of my furniture and boxes. I hadn't been able to eat for days and knew I didn't have the energy to do it myself. I remember cleaning the fridge and praying to Heavenly Father and asking for help. I prayed with everything I had left in my heart. I don't think 30 seconds had passed before my cell phone rang. It was a girl I met at a job I had just started. She asked if I needed help with anything. I asked her if she liked moving and told her my deadline. The next morning my friend knocked on my door and standing behind her were 6 volunteers and some from a high school football team. My angels! They packed me, moved me, and practically UNPACKED me....all within a few hours. They didn't let me lift a finger! Heavenly Father certainly heard my prayer and poured out some blessings! That is just one of the many. There's more where that came from:)
Living on my own wasn't financially easy at first. I will never forget the day when I received some money from some of my grandma's investments. The money was completely unexpected and I feel like it was grandma's way of saying she was watching over me. What a blessing!
As for my brother, the news about his surgery kept getting worse. He needed a 30(ish) hour operation and there were so many risks involved. He was expected to be in the hospital for quite some time. We fasted and prayed for him and the whole process was a miracle. In fact, his neuro-surgeon called him "the miracle man". The surgery lasted half as long and after just a few hours of recovery he was able to shake hands with his doctor and thank him-a movement we didn't think would come for weeks. He healed quickly and was able to recover at home. Just a few months later he was back to his normal self-100%.
*after his surgery, the doctor asked my family if my brother ran a lot. Before my brother had found out about the tumor ...he had made a goal of riding his bike 1000 miles before the end of the year. The doctor said that if he hadn't had that goal....he probably wouldn't have been strong enough to survive the surgery. What an inspiration!
These were only a handful of blessings we experienced. I will write more as I remember them. It is my testimony that our Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers. He loves us and allows us to have trials so that we can learn and grow. He will never allow us to go through something that we can't get through. The key is to keep in contact with Him, allow yourself to be guided and keep yourself worthy to receive inspiration. When faced with a challenge you have two options: sink or swim. I chose to swim and I knew that if I wanted to stay afloat that I had to think of my trials (especially that load of them) as a compliment from our Father in Heaven. He trusted my family...and he trusted me. He provided the tools I needed to survive October and the following months. I am so thankful for that!
I'm excited to write more....but for now my thumbs are tired!