WHAT I WOULD BET MY LIFE ON, AND HAVE.

 I don't put photos of my children on this blog site anymore to keep them protected.

 

Today I am going to break my rule because of a conversation I had with a teenager.

 

A conversation I thought some other women would perhaps benefit from if they were privy to.

 

So I will share part of it here.

 

You see, I used to be young.

I was given an academic scholarship to BYU Hawaii. 

 I had that whole WORLD/OYSTER combo on turbo charge.

I am a plan maker.  At 19 I had a myriad of goals.

 

 

 

 

I feel confident it was possible to be anything I wanted.

 

True.

 

I was loaded with potential.

 

 

 

 

Then I went to a dance with a boy.

 

A boy who had this integrity level I had never experienced before.

A boy who was so totally grounded and kindness driven I was absolutely....

 

 

 

 

SWEPT OFF MY FEET

 

 l.i.t.e.r.a.l.l.y.

 

 

 We were officially CRAZY about each other. NUTSO. Goofy in Love.

 

Then

 

We decided to serve LDS missions.

 

We ended up very far apart.

 

I went to Auckland New Zealand and he went to Phoenix Arizona.

 

That absolutely and totally was the most painful separation I have ever experienced.

 

It was beautifully devastating.

 

and

 

Absolutely the right thing to do.

 

 

 

 

 For lots and lots of REALLY IMPORTANT reasons.

 

 

 

HIT FAST FORWARD BUTTON HERE

 

 

We married.

 

We planned a family

 

Marc and I both agreed on how to boldly establish a home that would provide the best foundation for our children, encouraging and supporting them to succeed in every way. Both having served missions we had the unique opportunity to enter literally hundreds of homes and pick and choose what we wanted to do, and what we did not want to do, to make a beautiful life together.

 

In our view, that meant absolutely dedicating EVERYTHING

 

to them, and to our family.

 

So....

 

I did.

 

 

We did. Both of us. Together.

 

ALL OF US, every single good piece of us, went into nurturing a healthy family life

 

 

Here comes the part I was discussing with my son.

 

He was feeling low.

 

I was reassuring him that he had every gift of heaven at his feet, and the ability to accomplish

 

ANYTHING he wanted. 

 

He could absolutely count on that to be true.

 

 

 

 

 "Mom, but how can I really count on it?"

 

 

 

 

 

"How do I know I can do all that stuff you say I can do?"

 

 

 

"Because son.......

 

 

I WOULD BET MY WHOLE LIFE ON IT"

 

 

 

In fact, I already have.....