Don't You Quit!

I have never been a quitter. I am a finisher. But in starting this business, and in many aspects of my life, I have met with so many obstacles that the pace at which success comes has seemed unbarably slow. The shifts and changes, the twists and turns, and the start-agains have been discouraging at best. At times, I felt I would neer see the day when I would actually get past the set-up stage of my business. President Holland's words brought tears of encouragement and reflection when he said, "Don't you quit! You keep walking! You keep trying!There is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon and some blessings come late. And some don't come till heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end." My events center and herbshop has been on my heart for fifteen years. My journey has been long and difficult. I have been through a divorce, a marriage, raising of seven children, four moves with two more to go. I have gone back to school twice. The first time, right after my divorce, I felt impressed to get my associates degree in Myotherapy. I completed the two year course in eighteen months. When I physically was unable to continue massage therapy, I knew I would need to gain more skills than I had. I took a list of subjects of interest to Heavenly Father. There were about twenty topics on that list; herbology, metaphysics, accupuncture, nutrition, etc. But none of these were right. I asked God what He would have me study and the answer came very clearly, and quite unexpectedly... Family History! What?! As I moved forward in faith, majoring in Family History, the Lord has given me experiences that further refined my vision of my purpose and the business that I'm to run. My vision was once much bigger. But as my husband and I approach retirement age, and maintaining my health has been difficult, my business asperations have had to meet with a healthy dose of reality. I no longer feel I can do all that I had planned to do. But little by little, the Lord has taught me a new vision and the real purpose for which I came to earth. It is much less stress than my original vision. Getting my degree while raising children and caring for my ninety-three year-old mother who suffers from Alzheimers has been challenging. But Elder Holland's words ring in my ears, "Don't you quit! You keep walking!" And so on I march. As of two weeks from now, I will be the owner of a lovely Victorian farmhouse in Missouri, with a beautiful solariam for a greenhouse and herbshop. I trust that the events center will eventually be what the Lord wants it to be. For now, I'm to work on fixing up the house and starting my herbshop and continue serving my FamilySearch mission. The Lord will pave the way.