For quite some time now I have loved ladybugs. It wasn’t until I was looking to buy my first house that they came to have greater meaning for me.
I had looked at a lot of houses in different areas of Rigby, Idaho but there was this one house that captured my attention. It had been on the market and then was no longer listed for a time and then came back on. It was one I have really liked and the price couldn’t be beat, not for what it had to offer.
Ladybugs & My 1st House
When we went to look at it I had noticed ladybugs in the corner of the living room ceiling. I thought it was odd that they would be there but also saw it as a sign of good luck. This was the house I put an offer on and eventually bought. A few months later learned why the house had been listed for such a low price. That is a story for another time, however.
This was the home where my relationship with Jesus Christ was built. It was the very place I needed to be, surrounded by people I grew to love and call my family as I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was all of this that I associated with the ladybugs. It wasn’t for a few more years when I would see that ladybugs were one of the ways that Heavenly Father communicates with me.
It was in this home, the ward boundaries I was in, the loving people I was surrounded by that brought me nearer to our Savior Jesus Christ. In this home, I thought I would spend the rest of my life. I finally felt I was where I belonged. A feeling I had longed for my entire life and now it was real.
Living there was something that didn’t last though. We had moved in in 2012, my life was starting over and in what I thought were all the right ways. I finally had a relationship with God, something my grandma Cleo I think always wanted for me.
By 2016 that all changed, dramatically and in February 2017 I found myself divorced again. In those 5 years, I had become a changed woman and all for the better. I had come to know who I truly was and who I really belonged to. I am a beloved daughter of God, full of infinite worth, love, and His power. I had come to know how truly loved I had always been by Him who created me. My understanding of the events in my life and why so many awful things happened began to grow and expand. I had become enlightened by the Son of God.
It was the summer of 2017 where so many changes in my life took place. I was growing in the gospel, drawing ever near to our Savior. I was single and making it on my own. I had friends who loved and cared for me. Friends that helped me through a really tough time and helped me to see the good in me when I was struggling.
It was during this time I felt impressed that I should move. Something I never thought I would do but the memories and all the house projects that had been started and never finished during my marriage were just too much. Nothing felt the way that it once had.
There had been a shift in things once my divorce was final and after a stressful patch with a friend, things didn’t feel the way they had at church anymore. I didn’t feel I belonged there anymore, at least not in that ward. It was a family ward and I was without a family. Feelings of disconnect were washing over me. I wasn’t even certain that I was wanted there anymore.
Looking back on this time now, I wonder if those were even my feelings. I had become so involved in trying to help my friend that I, for a time, lost all sight of who I was. Things had become so overwhelming (not even sure that’s the right term or feeling) that I needed a break.
During all of this, I relied heavily upon the Lord. Through the grace and mercy of our Savior, I was held together spiritually. I had shut myself off for a while, only going to work and coming home, attending church on Sunday’s and the temple each week. The only person I really associated with was my friend Travis. He had somehow become the glue that kept me from falling completely apart…in the temporal sense. I just felt so disconnected from everything.
After some much needed time alone I began to come out of the funk I had been in. Travis had begun dating and I was feeling better. Travis had helped get my yard cleaned up over the summer, something I was and am still truly grateful for. I couldn’t have done it without him. While others said they would help he was a man of action. He had taken it upon himself to work on my yard while I was at work. He hadn’t even said anything to me about it until he had enough done and was sending pictures.
Over the summer I had been going through things in the house, weeding out what I no longer needed. This was a process that went well into the winter. It was during my scripture study on December 28, 2017…in the wee hours of the morning that I received another impression or prompting from the Lord.
In my journal I had written:
I’m afraid of what I have the potential to become. I’ve quit trying and have been greatly slacking on the things that will help me.
Tonight I confront my fears in the only way I know that will ensure answers-turning to the scriptures.
Luke 12:32-48, 22-31
29a-doubtful mind
Luke 1:20-I will not be able to write more until I put forth my efforts & do His will-move to Utah…
Luke 12:33-Sell what I have-give to the poor/have charity.
Luke 12:35-Let my light burn bright once again.
To meet my obsticle…Romans 8:39-God’s love for me.
I must hold tight to this for it is the surest love I have ever known, a love that has never failed me nor forsaken me.
my personal scripture journal-Kelly Jo Wonderful
It goes on to say much more but that right there is what I had needed to hear. Heavenly Father always knows what I need and the exact moment I am in need of it. His timing is sure and His promises are great.
So, in the months that followed, I did all that I could to go through things and get rid of all that I didn’t need or have use for. Some things I sold, others I gave away or donated…all went to someone who was in need.
My home had been on the market for a while at this time but I had gotten more serious about getting things done and ready for the big move. A move to a state I had never lived in, had no family or friends in and was far out of my comfort zone. All I had to guide me was the Lord. Acting on the faith I had in Him, trusting that each impression I received would lead me to where I needed to be for a reason I had yet to understand.
A Ladybug & My New Apartment
In March of 2018, I drove to Salt Lake City, Utah, acting on a strong feeling I had been having. I had long felt that the only way I would find a place to live in Utah would be to drive around. I already knew the area I would be living in, generally speaking of course. The Avenues in downtown Salt Lake was where I was to be.
Upon reaching Salt Lake I drove by the temple there, my most favorite place on earth for so many reasons. Then I took to driving around, up one street and down the next. I’m not even sure how long I had been driving around when I happened upon this house with a for rent sign in the front yard.
It was as though the car had jerked around the corner as I pulled into the driveway where I parked to make a call. As I placed the car in park a ladybug landed on the windshield. I dialed the number and spoke with the landlord. He was there and able to show me the apartment. He was a sweet man, we talked for nearly an hour.
It was an amazing house with church history behind it. I told him that I would need to talk with Heavenly Father first before I could confirm that I would rent the apartment he had available. He understood as he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as well. I pulled out of the driveway and made my way down the street.
My intent was to find Temple Square and say a prayer there but first I had to find it. I wasn’t real familiar with where I was in relation to temple square so I just kept driving forward. To my astonishment as the car was moving forward, I saw the most amazing view through the trees that were ahead. By the time I reached the top of the hill I knew. Tears streamed down my face, as I looked at the temple that was right in front of me. I felt so blessed and loved all with one view. And the prayer that was in my heart had at that moment been answered before I even uttered a word.
somewhere in the midst of the chaos of selling my house in Idaho and finding an apartment in Salt Lake, I began to realize that Heavenly Father uses ladybugs to communicate with me. It’s something simple, small and very subtle. A little thing I have come to recognize and pay attention to.
That wasn’t the last time I saw one. As a matter of fact, I saw one the night the man I now call my husband kissed me for the first time. Then there was the one I saw earlier this week. This was the one that brought me to this point, writing about them.
There are many different ways in which Heavenly Father speaks to me. There are a number of ways He speaks to each of us. The real question has never been, Does He still speak to His children, you and me? It is, “Do we hear Him when He speaks to un in the various ways He tries to communicate with us?
I encourage you to slow down when things feel fast-paced and listen with real intent to what the Lord is trying to say to you. His words are reassuring, comforting and at times a warning. They can give us peace and assurance that we are doing the right thing. his words are sure and full of love. Hear what He has to say to you.
