Answers to Prayer

I love how much Heavenly Father loves us! I love how He is so quick to answer my prayers about our children; it helps me know how important this calling is and how much He loves them, too. One such prayer was when I was praying to know what activity or sport we could put Aaron in to help him to excel and gain self-esteem. The thought "piano" instantly came into my mind. We found a wonderful teacher, and Aaron seems to have found his niche. I can't believe how well Heavenly Father knows every single one of us.

Another such experience was when Sami had a clogged tear duct. She was well past six months old, and we were close to making an appointment for her to go under general anesthesia and have a procedure done on her eye that was quite risky. Anyway, before the return appointment I said a prayer and pled with Heavenly Father that her eye would please heal. I instantly had a calm feeling that her eye would clear by the time she turned one ... and it did! At her nine-month well-baby appointment, I told the pediatrician that I wanted to wait until she was one before I took her in for the surgery (knowing and hoping that it would clear up before then.) The pediatrician said something like, "Okay, but as soon as she's one you need to take her in." It totally cleared up before we needed to do that. What a blessing.

I have received other answers through prayer that have helped me know how to most effectively teach our children the Gospel. I love that we can have a personal relationship with God. I know that He knows us each individually. He knows our names, our likes and our dislikes, our thoughts. He knows how to bless us in ways that make it so obvious that He is 100 % aware of us and our thoughts and our circumstances. I am blown away by how merciful, kind, patient, and loving Heavenly Father is. He knows everything! What a blessing and comfort to know that we can communicate anytime with someone so powerful and wise and all-knowing, just through a simple prayer. I know that He is always there.

Oh, another experience! Sami had outgrown almost all of her 12-month size clothes. I basically needed to buy an entire 18-month wardrobe for her (a big expense.) I never said a prayer about it, but I learned that Heavenly Father often blesses us through other people. Several days after realizing I needed to buy her a whole new wardrobe, there was a knock at the door. A kind woman from our church dropped off a huge bag of 18-month clothes for Sami. There is no way that she could have known that Sami needed those clothes other than just having the feeling that she needed to give them to us. Blessings! :)

I am so very thankful for my role as a mother. It is so hard and exhausting at times (okay most of the time,) but there is nothing better or more important that I could be doing right now ... or ever! I am enjoying it immensely! I am so thankful that, because of prayer, I can best know how to raise these sweet children and help them to succeed and be happy. I would know no greater joy.