Although being 33 weeks pregnant is a bit of a hindrance, I've been able to get so much done. Before we head west we will be joined by my brother, Bradley, and my brother-in-law, Jonathan, so I won't have to drive the whole way on my own and I'll have help with the kids. We will be able to stay at a friend's house for a couple of nights after our truck is packed up, so we don't have to rely on good weather for camping next week, and friends are going to be feeding us dinner for most of the next week so I don't have to keep my kitchen unpacked so we can eat.
When we do get to Utah, we are going to be able to stay with Mom Allen for a while, so I can have the baby without having to get a house set up first. I already have my first appointment with my new doctor scheduled, so I don't have to worry about who is going to be taking care of getting my baby here safe. We have many friends and family who are looking forward to us returning "home" to Utah, and I'm looking forward to being able to spend more time with them then we have been able to in years. Bryce has already renewed his contacts with the Utah Festival Opera in Logan, so his professional as well as academic career can continue.
We still have unknowns and uncertainties to face as we leave our home and the friends that we have come to love here in the Midwest, but I know without a doubt that this opportunity is a blessing from our Heavenly Father. Seven years ago, with fear and doubt, we left our home in Utah behind because of our faith that The Lord wanted us to. We moved to southern Illinois where we were blessed to be able to make many good life-long friends. We were also blessed with our first child, Owen Henry. Bryce was able to advance his career and develop the talents and skills that he needed to be able to support our family so I can stay home with our kids. I was given the opportunity to become a piano teacher for the first time and discovered that I love teaching kids how to play the piano. We also were once again able to put our trust in the Lord as we accepted Bryce's first teaching position here in St. Louis.
During our nearly four years here in St. Louis we have been blessed to live in a great neighborhood and a great ward where we've made many wonderful friends. Our daughter, MayLynn Elizabeth, was born here and Owen started kindergarten. Bryce has been blessed with more work than he knows what to do with, and I have been blessed to have many wonderful piano students that I have come to love and whom I will miss when we are gone. We have gotten very involved in our ward and stake, and Bryce has thrived in the young men's program while I have discovered the joys of teaching primary. Our ward has become our family and I feel more at home here than I have at any other place I have ever lived.
But just as the Lord brought us to St. Louis, he has blessed us to be able to return home to Utah where we can live closer to our families and where our kids will get to know their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. As I have thought about the past seven years of our live and how the Lord has directed our path, the words of Hymn #97, "Lead Kindly Light," have come to my mind several times:
"Lead, kindly Light, amid th' 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. . .
So long thy pow'r hath blest me, sure it still
Will lead me on
O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till
The night is gone.
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!"
As long as we are willing to put our trust in the Lord and let him guide our steps along the path of life, we will never be without his help and support. We will continue to be blessed with people who will love us and help us along life's path. We will also be blessed to help others as well. I am so very grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves his children enough to be concerned with our everyday lives.
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