A Day For Which I Am Grateful

It is currently 8:00 AM on the morning in which my family will be given the blessing of being sealed together. I am overcome with emotion as I think of how much love my Heavenly Father has showed me thoughout my life. I truly have been given the best family for me and and I can barely express how wonderful it feels to know that Heavenly father provided me this blessing.

There was a song which expresses the feelings I have about Tiff and my relationship and the feelings that I have about Heavenly Father's participation in us coming together. Some of you heard this when we got married but today the words mean even more to me. I have copied the lyrics here.

Bless the Broken Road

I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you

That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.

Tiffany, you are the greatest miracle in my life. You have given me hope and the vision that our family can be eternal. I can scarce comprehend all the sacrifices you make daily for me and for our children. And yet you do them without complaint with complete love. I am so grateful that God has led me to you and that I have you to be my eternal companion. Heaven would be Hell without you there. I can assure that our family would never make it without you. My world could not exist without you in it. I love, love, love you!

Now I want to take a brief moment to express my feelings to my children, if you will ingulge me.

Allison, I love you so much. Your tender spirit and sensitivity bonds me to you. I love how eager you are to learn and grow. It makes me laugh how you work so hard to make us all happy. You were the first to accept me as your father and you have truly made me feel that I am. As I watch you grow, I can see how beautiful of a woman you are and will become. You are a blessing in my life.

Charlie, I love you so much. I never have considered myself a real man's man and so the responsibility to teach you to become a man scares me a little. But your sweet smile and infectious personallity truly tells me that I can. I love how much you love your mother. I hope if there is one thing I can teach you in life it is that you always love your mother and that someday you love and treat your wife like you do your mother. I love your personality and how you teach me to not take life so seriously. You are a miracle in my life.

Oscar, I love you so much. I did not realize how deep my feelings of love for my children were until you came into this world. I truly did not realize how much I cared for you and your siblings. But the feelings and emotions that your birth and life have given me, have taught me how truly precious all of your lives are. Oscar you make me feel needed and wanted and that means a lot to a father. I love your smile and laugh. It make me keep working each day. I love you, son. You are a gift to me.

For all of you who are celebrating with us this day, thank you for the love and support you have shown us as we have come along this road that has brought us here. Whether you will be present with us in the temple or far away, your love and prayers are felt. Thank you and we love you all.

The Greatest News

So the day I have been waiting for has finally been given the go ahead.

While there are so many things I am grateful for in my life, there is nothing I am more grateful for than how God took me from my lowest point and gave me the greatest woman who has ever lived to be my wife. I could not have asked for more. For anyone who knows Tiffany, you will understand what I mean. Tiffany is beautiful in every which way.

Since the day Tiff and I decided to marry and form this amazing family, our dream was to someday be sealed together. For those who may not know, it is our belief that a family can be eternal and extend its bonds through death into the here after. One of things that makes that possible is being married to our spouse in a temple. This marriage ceremony is called a sealing. A couple truly becomes one and as long as there is faithfulness to the covenants we make there, the Lord gives us the promise that we can be together with our families forever. Tiff and I have offered countless prayers that this would someday become a reality.

One of the things that made it more difficult though was that Tiff and I had been sealed to our previous spouses. In order for Tiff and I to be able to have this blessing, it was necessary to meet the requirements and then petition the First Presidency for the clearance/cancellation of our first marriages. We have been going through the process and our requests were sent out truly not long ago. What then happens is that the prophet, the President of the Church, and his counselors, pray on our behalf to know the will of the Lord. If there are questions or concerns, letters will be sent back to us. This process can take a long, long time and for some, the time may not ever come when the approval is granted because of the circumstances. So yesterday when I went to get the mail and saw two letters from the Office of the First Presidency of the church, I felt such elation.

To know that the Prophet of God has prayed for me and my family is amazing enough, but what is more incredible to me is that the Lord knew and made it clear to them so quickly that this was right. It reaffirms what I already knew: that God has been part of bringing Tiff and I together from the very beginning. I am grateful he knows us and that he loves us. I am grateful he loves me enough to have given me one of his daughters who is beyond perfection herself to offset my imperfection. I am and will be eternally grateful that I will soon have a family that can truly be eternal.

So for the details of when the sealing will take place, we are not sure yet. We will post an update as soon as we know. We still need to get our recommends to be sealed from the Bishop and Stake President and also find out what the situation will be with being sealed to Oscar. Our letters indicated that a seperate letter would be sent to our Stake President regarding that, so, we need to work that out with him. I am so excited and feel such gratitude that my greatest dream will become a reality soon enough.

For any who have offered prayers in our behalf or have been part of this process in any way, thank you. We love you all!