The hardest choice I’ve made in my life was when…

…I chose to be happy. My life was crumbling around me. I was sad, angry, depressed, and mourning the loss of my marriage. My husband had kicked me and my baby out of our own home. I was homeless and helpless. One night, while pleading to my Heavenly Father, I very distinctly got the feeling that that very moment was going to be the crossroads of my life. I had to choose then and there: Was I going to be happy and have the life I had dreamed about, or was I going to wallow in the mess and become bitter, sad and lonely? It was up to me. Then and there, I chose to be happy.

Was I going to be happy and have the life I had dreamed about, or was I going to wallow in the mess and become bitter, sad and lonely?

I got up, washed my face and set to it. I made a list of what I wanted, what I had to do to make those things happen and who I wanted to become. I got back to basics, reminding myself of those lessons I had learned in Primary and Young Womens so long ago and reminding myself who I was. I read, I pondered, I did as I was prompted to do, I went to the temple, I journaled and I prayed. Over the course of a year, I went from being a scared woman to a very short time later becoming content, strong, and determined to get the joy in life I deserved. It all came from the decision to be happy while sobbing on my bedroom floor.

Now I have a wonderful supportive husband and three beautiful children. I marvel at how far I’ve come. I am thankful for the answer to my prayers and the reminder that night that my happiness is not dependent on others, but it is a personal choice that I get to make… on that night, and every day.

At A Glance