Blessings

I was thinking back the other day about when I was single. When I was in Young Women's I had made a list of qualities I wanted my future husband to possess. On that list there were things like : Has to play the piano and compose music, has to enjoy camping and hiking, enjoy sports, love to sing, etc. As I aged and experienced life I added things like: Must be patient, love children, honor his Priesthood responsibilities, desire to have Family Home Evening, family prayer and family scripture study. The last thing I had added to my list was that He must never have been Married.

The "never been married" part was added after dating and being engaged to someone who had been. Interesting experience, I learned a lot and I will spare you the details. In short I decided that route was not for me.

A couple of years later a good friend of mine passed away due to a tragic accident. She had always talked of Jersey as if it was home so I assumed that to be the case. When I heard of her death I found she was going to be buried in Peterson Utah of all places. Since I was in the area I decided to attend her grave side services to pay my last respects to her and her family.

When I arrived to the specified cemetery no one else was there, and I thought maybe I had come to the wrong place. After waiting nearly a half hour her husband and children had shown up. As her husband got out of the car and helped his children get out this overwhelming feeling of being attracted to him came over me. (Kind of like what I imagine Nephite women feeling towards Captain Moroni or Mormon, or Alma.) I found myself thinking I was childish, and it took me two weeks to convince myself that wasn't going to happen. Two simple reasons, first this was my friends husband, he had children not a whole lot younger than myself, and Second, the obvious, he had been married. Hello.

About six months later my parents received a Christmas letter from my friends husband. at the end he had written a little message to me inviting me to attend a season of General conference with him in the upcoming month. At the burial service he and his daughters had talked about putting together a remembrance book for the youngest boy so he could have memories of his mother. I thought maybe he had wanted to get together so I could give him some of my memories. Deep down I had felt that I knew there might be more to it, but I fought it. I told him I would love to and we continued to correspond through the remainder month.

To spare you a lot of details, and reading I will tell you that Heavenly Father let me know that my friends husband was a good match for me. He was my perfect match. He is my calm in storms, he gives me advise I respect, his perspective is off my charts, so it is refreshing and often helps me through things I think are impossible. He loves me with my flaws and weaknesses, and I him with his. I could not have picked anyone better for myself.

So why am I sharing this? Because my husband is not what I imagined to be perfect for myself. He doesn't compose music for me or enjoy camping, and he had been married.Putting that aside, he will sing me songs we love, he loves being a father, a husband, he honors his priesthood, he keeps the covenants he has made with me and God. He cherishes me and treats me like his queen. He is everything I need, and wanted that is important, really important.

Those of you out there looking for your "perfect man" try being his perfect woman, and put your trust in the Lord, He knows you, and loves you like a perfect Father. He will lead you to the "perfect man". He may not have all of the qualities on a list made long ago, or compiled of all of the good traits you saw in others, but he will compliment your weaknesses and strengths. Together you will grow and become one.