Mormon Message: Rambles.

It's late.  And I'm tired.
But, I wanted to share.
So, if you don't mind the ramble,
then please, continue reading.

As I sat in sacrament and listened to the lesson, I was holding hands to the man of my dreams.  I was holding the hands of my future husband and my partner for the rest of my forever.  The person who never, not once, judged me.   Who accepted me with open arms immediately, through everything and all that I am.

I sat on the same bench as my in-laws, who are some of the most incredible people I know.  They took me into their family and loved me as their own from the get-go.  They've made me feel loved, accepted, appreciated.  I've never been a home that is more welcoming and more inviting than the Hall home.

And I sat in the middle of a ward made of congregation of some incredible, incredible people.   They all know each other, they support each other, they know what each other are doing in their lives and always are asking about one another, making sure everyone is taking care of, everyone is doing well.  

It's an incredible feeling to be a part of that.  It's a feeling that I've never felt any other time in my life.  I feel completely accepted for all that I am, and I feel a huge amount of support for the things that I'm doing.   I feel support from my husband-to-be, from my in-laws, from my ward, and support from my own family.   I feel an unconditional amount of love and I'm so grateful for all that I have.

Several weeks ago, a young girl stood up in church and shared her love for the gospel.  She told us that she was a convert and that she had just moved here from Florida just to be closer to those who practiced her faith. She talked about her trip to SLC to finally see a temple and what an incredible experience it was.   People in Utah often talk about going to the temple and how incredible it is, but this was a different story.  This girl didn't even get to go inside, she just stood outside and stared at the temple and felt blessed to be that close to a temple of her faith.

As she shared this story, I felt this incredible feeling of gratefulness that I live where I do and I can experience that things that I can.  I've driven by that temple a billion times in my life, and I've never felt more proud of the temple than I did that very day as this girl shared her journey from Florida to the temples.

My life hasn't been a "molly-mormon" life and I've had to work for my testimony.  I wasn't born into the church like several people from Utah are.  I wasn't born into a family who raised me to know everything and anything about the church.  But, I'm so grateful that I wasn't.  My testimony means so much more to me know than it ever has before because it's one that I've created for myself.  I've discovered what works for me and what I believe to be true.  No one has filled these thoughts in my head except Callie, and to have a testimony at all is a HUGE blessing to me.   I'm grateful for that and I'm so glad that I have the people in my life that I do.  I have an incredible, incredible, incredible support system.   My husband, my in-laws, and my own family.  Each and everyone of them has loved me and supported me through all my wild and crazy decisions and I can't thank them enough for that.

 It's been a wild ride but it's been MY ride and I'm happy of the final destination.