My Old time Rail Journey

 I rediscovered one of my favorite quotes by President Hinckley on Pinterest recently,  he said:  "Life is just like an old time rail journey ... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." I love how he puts it, reminding us that it is not smooth sailing.  How often do I forget to thank the Lord for everythign that I have, and to count my blessings instead of what I am lacking. This past year has been really hard for me as I struggle with my own journey, specifically wanting to start a family and not having that blessing in my life.  It is so interesting to me to follow my friends through blogs or facebook and read about their struggles. I have single friends who want to be married, friends going through divorce, and friends frustrated by infertility.  How many of us aren't exactly on the path that we expected to be on.  I feel like I have had so many delays along the way.

 

I am not always grateful for what I have, and sometimes Sundays are the hardest.  They are such family days. When your husband is working a double shift and you are home alone all day, it can feel terribly long and lonely.  I definitely struggle with my feelings of depression, frustration and sadness, so I love when I can be uplifted or reminded by something like a quote.

I try to look for ways to find joy in my life. Although I am not always good at it, some days are easier than others.  I have been blessed with some great friends while here in Tucson.  This weekend while Nathan was working evening shifts, I was able to go to a hockey game with Christi and Judy, two friend who have made living in Tucson more fun.  We went to a U of A hockey game and something about being at the game just made me happy.  I was also able to go to see the movie The Artist with Christi a night later.
It is so fun to have friends to share good times with.  Christi is still in the world of dating, and I love talking with her and hearing her stories, remembering my own adventures in dating.

Another thing that has really brought me joy in my life is my pets.  Since we don't have kids yet, Nathan and I treat our pets like our kids.  We have so many pictures of them, it is ridiculous!!  Our silly cat makes us laugh, and Pepper just loves to cuddle.  It is so nice to have her keeping me company especially when Nathan is off working late at nights. 

I guess my point is, although I feel like my train is often delayed, and I wish I could hurry things up, I do have so many blessings to be grateful for. If I can remember those blessings and thank my Heavenly Father for them more often than I do, I can be happier.