Homesickness.

"God has a picture of you on His dresser"

mindy gledhill is serenading me as I write. some of my best thinking happens with background music. what do you do while you're thinking? talk to yourself? stare off into space?

my thoughts lately have been about how we are all such a long way from home. by now we're kind of use to it. we've adapted. but at times, don't your heart strings ever ache for home? for me it usually happens when things are just hard, and i'd rather not face it all. though i am not yet a mother, i feel this story well describes how life can be at times:

“As I turned around to walk back home, I could see my house lighted up. I could hear echoes of my children as I had walked out of the door a few minutes earlier. They were saying: ‘Mom, what are we going to have for dinner?’ ‘Can you take me to the library?’ ‘I have to get some poster paper tonight.’ Tired and weary, I looked at that house and saw the light on in each of the rooms. I thought of all of those children who were home waiting for me to come and meet their needs. My burdens felt heavier than I could bear.

“I remember looking through tears toward the sky, and I said, ‘Dear Father, I just can’t do it tonight. I’m too tired. I can’t face it. I can’t go home and take care of all those children alone. Could I just come to You and stay with You for just one night? I’ll come back in the morning.’

“I didn’t really hear the words of reply, but I heard them in my mind. The answer was: ‘No, little one, you can’t come to me now. You would never wish to come back. But I can come to you.’”

it helps me to think about the reason behind it all, behind why He's sent us here in the first place. so very far from what was familiar and comfortable. i love remembering this journey has eternal purposes. one of which is lasting and true happiness. and yet, getting there is no easy feat. but, no worries, our Father has sent back up: the scriptures, the prophets, our families, PRAYER, my goodness the list goes on and on. each of these things is a care package from home.

"Heavenly Father knew the grave dangers we would face on our journey through life, but He remains resolute in His desire to have each and every one of His children return home. Therefore, He gave us time—time to work out our mistakes, time to overcome our sins, time to prepare for reunion."

"Make a mental list of those things you know you ought not to be doing. Stop doing today at least one such thing, and replace it with what you ought to do. Pray to Heavenly Father for forgiveness and for the strength to complete this journey. As you overcome one obstacle and move on to another, I promise that step by step the way will unfold before you until, as the wearied traveler, you are back where you belong."

"There is no spirit but what was pure and holy when it came here from the celestial world. … He is the Father of our spirits; and if we could know, understand, and do His will, every soul would be prepared to return back into His presence. And when they get there, they would see that they had formerly lived there for ages, that they had previously been acquainted with every nook and corner, with the palaces, walks, and gardens; and they would embrace their Father, and He would embrace them and say, ‘My son, my daughter, I have you again;’ and the child would say, ‘O my Father, my Father, I am here again"

i'm living for that reunion. i work hard every day (with a gazillion trillion mistakes in between) for that reunion. and i want to take everyone i love with me. or it just wouldn't be as much fun.