One year ago today, I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was a wonderful, bright time in my life. My conversion experience was wonderful.

If you’re not familiar with my conversion story, I urge you to take a peek up there ^ at the navigation bar – you can find the whole story, and so much more, there.

I’d like to pick up where I left you 6 months ago. I had just moved back to Virginia and was feeling a little shaky in my testimony. I knew the Church was true, but I was having a little bit of a rough time living my new life as a Latter-Day Saint while also living my old life as a Northern Virginia stay-at-home daughter/socialite/novelist/etc. I remarked that “the honeymoon” was definitely over but that I was figuring out ways to remind myself of what was really important.

When I was baptized, I knew what I was doing was right. I knew it was important, and that I needed to do it. I was elated to be confirmed a member of the Church, eager to attend the Temple. I loved being part of my ward, having a calling, going to FHE – just belonging felt so good. If you recall, I even stood up in front of everyone and SANG on Easter Sunday (okay, yes, me and every other YSA woman in the ward, and we sang to the approximately 7.5 men in our ward so it wasn’t like I sang a solo, but still! ME!). I was in a happy little Mormon bubble.

But while I knew what I was doing was the right thing for me at the time, I didn’t really understand why. Today, I feel like I do and I sit here today knowing that the Lord gives us things:

line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto [His] precepts, and lend an ear unto [His] counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth [He] will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have (2 Ne. 28:30)

I love having this knowledge, and I love that even though I now feel like I have this tremendous insight, when I look back on this in the years to come I’ll probably feel like I still didn’t know that much. It’s wonderful to know that there will always be more I can learn about the Gospel and myself.

Today I feel like I’ve come full circle. I feel bright and shiny like I did this time last year, like I’m just full to bursting. Heavenly Father is at work in my life in some truly remarkable ways – the events He has orchestrated in my life are so obviously His work that not even my non-member friends can deny it. These things that are happening now are not easy, and they are sometimes very painful, but I know no matter what that Heavenly Father can see the end from the beginning and that I will trust in His plan.

I’m so thankful for all the many ways that I’ve been blessed as a result of my membership in this Church. Really and truly I’ve had so many wonderful opportunities to grow and meet amazing people and serve the Lord and just learn so much about myself and who am and  who I want to become. It’s absolutely astounding to me how much I have changed and grown in the past year and I very much look forward to seeing how I continue to grow in the future. Truly this time we have on Earth is a gift, and I’m so thankful to know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves all of us enough to give that gift to us.

Over one year ago when I first started to look for a church I wanted to join, I never dreamed that I would find something that would fill my soul so completely. The course my life has taken since I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one I never would have charted for myself. Standing here, looking back, I am simply astounded. And the future? Is oh so much brighter. Oh, it is wonderful. Wonderful to me.