Lead Kindly Light

"Lead Kindly Light, amid the' encircling gloom.  Lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home.  Lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet, I do not ask to see;
The distant scene - one step enough for me.

"I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou Shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path, but now, Lead thou me on;
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears;
Pride ruled my will, Remember not past years.

"So long that pow'r hath blest me, sure it still Will lead me on;
O're moor and fen, or crag and torrent, till the night is gone
And with the morn, those Angles faces smile,
Which I have loved long since and lost a while."

It's amazing how the past few years have prepared our family for what the Lord has had in store for us all along.  I had no idea when I was prompted (strongly) to go back to school five years ago that I would need that degree right now.  We had no idea when we felt so strongly that we should move to this area three years ago that Shawn would be starting his own business and attending BYU-I for the program that they just started offering.  We also had no idea that when Shawn lost his job a few months ago that it would open up so many opportunities for us.  He is opening up his own medical equipment business from our home and preparing to go to school starting in the fall.

Honestly, who would have thought (we certainly didn't) that Shawn loosing his job would be such  turning point.  He would have never had the courage or the motivation to go ahead and jump into school without the desperate need for security that we felt when he lost that job.

This is definitely not a victory speech; nor am I preaching to anybody to follow in our footsteps, because we know just as well as anybody that our plans could change quickly and without warning.  I also have a feeling that our trials in this matter are just beginning.  But, I am feeling tremendously blessed and humbled, and maybe a little validated that maybe, just maybe this as a mini testimony that we are moving in the right direction and that the Lord is looking out for our needs and for our greater good.  Also, that I truly know only a small portion of the Lord's plan for us, and that our purposes for being on this earth are not only to be tried and tested, but to help others of our Heavenly Father's children out along the way.

3Nephi 13

"28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the ^alilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;
33But ^aseek ye first the ^bkingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.