Blessings & Amazing Friends

To be completely honest, the last 1.5 weeks haven't been our greatest......especially for my sweet hubby. I hate to see Matt struggling so much and worrying....and allowing things to make him question his own worth at times. It's not very often that Matt gets down....he's generally a very happy, upbeat guy, which is one of the things that I love most about him. So when he does have a day or 2 when things get him down.....it's really tough for me to sit by and watch him struggle.




Monday night was one of those nights. Matt seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and suddenly something snapped. He sometimes has a habit of carrying the things that are bothering him around for a while and bottling them up until he's ready to talk about them. I'm someone who likes to talk things out pretty quickly, so I've had to learn over the years how to sometimes take a step back and allow Matt to process things and deal with them in his own way. When he's ready to talk, he'll usually come to me with it and we'll then talk it out and figure it out together. However, it's still hard for me to take that step back sometimes.



Anyway, something finally snapped on Monday night and the dam finally broke.....everything that he's been carrying around and worrying about for the last week (or longer) finally came pouring out and he finally was able to release a lot of the bottled up anger, frustration, and, to a certain extent, hurt, over some things that he's been dealing with lately in other aspects of our lives......things that I still can't go into detail over, but not necessarily having anything to do with me or the relationship that we have together. Just other things in life that he is dealing with on a daily basis. I spent a good portion of the night just sitting with him and allowing him to vent and release a myriad of emotions......for the most part saying nothing except trying to help him feel better. Finally, we rested for a few hours and he went to work like normal yesterday.



Matt works harder than anyone I know (except my Dad) and he's an amazing person. He has formed many friendships with contractors and others that he deals with at work on a daily basis....and he greatly values those friendships and relationships. He tries very hard to deal with customers and contractors in a fair and honest manner and make them feel comfortable to be around him.



One of those contractors with whom he has formed a great friendship came into the store yesterday and saw Matt. Apparently, he could tell that something was still bothering Matt so he took him aside and talked with him for a few minutes. Ryan is also a member of our church and is a worthy Priesthood holder. He felt that it was appropriate and asked Matt if he would like him to come over after work and give Matt a blessing. Matt, not being one to normally ask for one himself, told Ryan he would think about it and let him know. Ryan then sent him a text after they both were home and asked him again if he would like him to come over later and give Matt a blessing. Matt and I talked about it and agreed that it certainly wouldn't hurt anything to allow Ryan to do so.....and probably would even be a good idea.



Ryan came over about 7:30 last night and ended up spending a good 1.5 hours just sitting with us and talking with us about a lot of things.....as a true friend would do. As previously mentioned, Matt and Ryan have become really great friends over the years in working together and Ryan has become someone that Matt trusts and feels comfortable enough to talk to about personal matters at times......especially since it seems that Ryan and his wife have quite a bit in common with Matt and I....including having had their own issues with infertility, etc., over the years as well.



The 3 of us prayed together and invited the Spirit to be with us and Ryan then proceeded to give Matt a really great blessing of comfort. Afterwards, Matt and Ryan both gave me a blessing of comfort as well. Tears were shed and the Spirit was definitely in the room. Last night ended up being one of the most enjoyable evenings I've had in a while.....thanks to Ryan listening to the promptings of the Spirit and heading those promptings.



I am so grateful for the power of the Gospel in my life.....and for the Priesthood. I'm constantly reminded of so many great blessings that I have in my life, in spite of the challenges and trials that we also face on a daily basis. I have such a testimony of the Gospel, even though I sometimes forget and I can be stubborn and I don't always do all of the things that I know I should be doing. As Ryan left our house last night, I had a new resolve to try harder to do those things that I've been slacking off on and to try harder to do those things that will invite the Spirit to be a more prominent part of my daily life. I truly do need guidance and inspiration from the Spirit and from my Savior, probably greater at this point in my life than ever before, with so many life changing decisions to be made and so many personal struggles that Matt and I both continue to deal with. There were particular words spoken in both of our blessings last night that really stood out to me and gave me a reassurance that I need to hang in there and be strong.....that the Lord is mindful of the things that Matt and I are trying to do and the righteous desires of our hearts. If we will be strong and stay close to the Spirit those desires will begin to unfold in their own due time.



I'm so grateful for the power of true friends in our lives who are always there when we most need them. Whether it be with a kind word, a smile, a hug.....or coming to pick Matt up to take him golfing for the day because he needs something to cheer him up and take his mind off things for a while......or listening to a prompting and offering a listening ear and a blessing of comfort to Matt when it's obvious that he's struggling a bit. Thank you. It truly warms our hearts to have so many close and wonderful friends and family to share the ups and downs of our lives with. Again, thank you! We love you all! :)




I took some time to read a little in the Ensign this morning when I woke up......an older Ensign from November of 2008. This particular one is filled with the Conference addresses and talks from the previous month's Conference sessions. I ended up reading the talk that was given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf......an absolutely amazing man and one of my very favorite General Authorities.......entitled: "The Infinite Power of Hope".

"Hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges."

I felt that it was appropriate and quite fitting for the moment and thought I would share the talk. If you're interested in reading it, click on the link below:

http://lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/the-infinite-power-of-hope?lang=eng

It really hit home for me right now. :)

I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father. The Savior has sacrificed so much for me and now it's my turn to be strong and do whatever it takes to live my life the best way possible and return to live with Him someday. I know that my Redeemer lives and loves me and that I am truly a Child of God. If I can only continue to remember that in the most challenging of times and remember to stay close to the Spirit, I can get through these challenging times and can be an even better and stronger person in the end.