"There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons."

Many years ago in our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the men would have to go to a meeting called Priesthood. This was always pretty early and since most households only had one vehicle, the men would wake up early and go to that meeting. Then they would return home and pick up the family for Sunday School and the rest of church meetings that day.

My dad had a particularly hard time with this meeting, waking up that is. He would stay in bed longer than normal and mom would tirelessly awake him to go to his priesthood meeting. I am guessing sometimes dad got up on his own and went but, for the majority of the time mom always had to wake him up.

This was something mom would never forget and maybe even one of the many reasons for their marriage ending. Mom always put God and church first and she just knew everything else would fall into place. I know if dad had that same faith they could have done some wonderful things together in this life. But, that wasn't what happened and its okay.

As the years progressed and we started to date someone rather seriously she would always say to us, "marry someone you don't have to wake up for priesthood." At first this comment really didn't phase me the way it was meant. I just kind of shrugged it off and went about my merry way. She also counseled us to make sure that we marry someone who loves us more than we love him. This was always funny to me as well but, I never would forget this tidbit of advice from her either.

When Dan and I started to date and he started attending church with me (before he got baptized) this advice rang even louder in my ears. My mom was in Tonga at the time Dan started going to church with me. He would leave his home and travel clear across the street to Wynnie's house where I lived and pick me up for church. He had his Book of Mormon from the missionaries and he wore his suit from his high school graduation and he would take me to church. He would sit reverently in all the meetings and he sang all the hymns with me, he closed his eyes during prayer and he beamed when I would stand and bear my testimony.

We had a whirlwind romance and before I knew it, he proposed to me on his knee and everything! It was so sweet and I said YES! YES! YES! As far as his interest in my church goes, I didn't ask him to speak to the missionaries, he did that all on his own. I didn't ask him to contact my home teacher Steve Kron, he did that all by himself. He listened intently to what the missionaries had to say and he applied the teachings in his life. I saw this and I KNEW that even though he wasn't yet baptized that I could marry him right then. I knew he would love our babies, I knew he would work hard for our family, I knew he would always look at me and think I was the next best thing to sliced bread. I knew he would always let me win (or at least think it), I knew he would love my family, I knew he adored my mom by the way he adored his. I knew he would get baptized (and he did 7 months and 20 days) after we got married. I knew that he loved me so much, maybe even more than I could love him? NO WAY I would think, and then he would prove it yet again, over and over again! I knew he would honor his priesthood and I knew I would "never have to wake him up for priesthood"...EVER!

Lesson learned here is, LISTEN to your mother when she gives you serious advice on finding a mate, she may know a thing or 2 or 567 about that.

Thanks Mom for helping me find the right one! Side note, I sent a picture of Dan and I to mom in Tonga before we got married but telling her we were going to be soon. She wrote me back stating that the picture was beautiful and, that she approved of Danny. She felt a great relief knowing I had someone I can truly lean on and trust in and love and who loved me back. Oh how I love my Dan!