Worth it

Last year was NO BUENO! My husband was gone for 10 months and I had to do a lot on my own. I won't and can't lie, it was tough. Being a single mom was hard. Luckily, it's 2012 and I made it "through the rain..." so Mariah tells it. I know that "what won't kill us, makes us stronger" and I feel just that. I feel stronger. I feel that I know who and what my support system is and that, if I had to do it again, I can survive. I had many opportunities to "fall" and "break", but I am happy to say that the Lord, along with my family and ward members, got me through it all. I couldn't have done it without them and I am lucky to have had them with me. I had a lot of bonding times with my kids and that had to be my favorite part. When I was a single parent before, I didn't appreciate my kids. I didn't spend as much time with them as I should have and I didn't place them as a priority. This time it was different. My kids were first and everything I did, I did for them. I didn't forget to take care of myself, and I think that's what made this experience more beneficial. I learned how to express myself, how to provide, how to communicate, how to take care of myself and how to become self sufficient. Even though I wouldn't want to go through 2011 ever again, I am stronger now than I was before and that has made it, worth it.