My father's arms

I have been thinking a lot about a trip that I took to visit my family in Utah.

Troy and I were in the mist of graduate school. Between the intensity of graduate school and it being my first time away from home, this was, so far, the hardest thing I had ever done. And though I loved Tennessee, everything was different than I was used to. I was feeling such homesickness for my family. I missed everything about Utah, even down to shopping at Macey's grocery store.

Then one weekend my sister surprised the family and eloped to Vegas with her boyfriend, and so my parents flew me, 'A' and 'P' out to Utah for her reception. I had such of fun time seeing my family, spending time in my parents home, and yes, even going to Macey's.

The week flew by for me, and before I knew it, it was time to go back to Tennessee. My dad drove us to the airport. As we embraced and said our tearful goodbye's, I turned to walk into the airport.

Just after I entered the doorway, I turned to see if I could catch one more glimpse of my dad's car as he drove away. But to my surprise when I turned around I turned to see my dad still standing on the curb watching me enter the airport. My heart filled with emotion and it took all the strength I had to turn back around and keep walking through the airport doors when all I wanted was to run back to my father's arms.

As I have been reflecting back on this experience, I have wondered about our departure from our heavenly home. How our Heavenly Father must have embraced us there. How hard it must have been to leave His presence.

Then I listened to a women's conference this week that has had me reflecting a lot on our trials, and what we learn from them. As I reflect back to that time in Tennessee when everything was so different for me there, and I had to learn to rely fully on the Lord and my immediate family, I am so grateful that I did leave the safety of my father's arms, experienced those trials, and am now the person I am today because of them.