A Brand New Chapter

This is what greeted me as I drove into the state of Idaho. It was beautiful.

On August 15Th Billy and I took a leap of faith when we packed up our U-Haul truck and headed for Idaho to start our lives over. The past four years for Billy and I have been in a constant downward spiral and we finally hit bottom when we had to leave our home. Four years ago when we made the decision that I would go back to school we never realized what struggles we would have to endure. So often over the past four years I wondered if my decision to go to school was the right decision since we had nothing but challenges since I started. Billy lost his job, he had two heart attacks, we lost our house, it seemed nothing went right, however, I could not turn back – all I had left was hope that the future would be brighter.

This quote by Marilyn Monroe has great meaning for me, she said,

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. Things go wrong so that you can appreciate them when they're right. And sometimes good things fall apart so that better things can fall together."

Maybe the “better things” are here in Idaho. Maybe if we hadn't had any struggles we would not have moved here. I really feel like this is where I belong. The day I drove over the Nevada Idaho border I thought about how the Mormon pioneers must have felt as they overlooked the Salt Lake Valley and realized they were home. That is the feeling I had – I felt an incredible feeling of peace and confirmation that the decision to come to Idaho was the right decision.

Just after I crossed the border a song I had never heard before came on the radio – a song by Darryl Worley called, “Sounds Like Life To Me” and it was about a man who was feeling distressed about the problems in his life, but his friend’s perspective was this:

(chorus)
Sounds like life to me it ain’t no fantasy

It’s just a common case of everyday reality

Man I know it’s tough but you gotta suck it up

To hear you talk you’re caught up in some tragedy

It sounds like life to me

(chorus)
Sounds like life to me plain old destiny

Yeah the only thing for certain is uncertainty

You gotta hold on tight just enjoy the ride

Get used to all this unpredictability

Sounds like life

I thought it was an appropriate song at an appropriate time giving me a boost of “get up and go”. Ya, crap happens and I’m kind of in a pile of it right now, but all I’m really missing in my life is money – I have everything else that’s important – good health, the blessing of family and the knowledge that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me and will never leave me alone. I can always replace money, but I cannot replace the other things.

So for now I will end one chapter of my life and look forward to starting a new one full of hope and adventure.