There is lots to blog and fun happenings I want to share here but in this moment I have to write an experience I had with Riley I don’t want to forget.
It’s Sunday, Jan 4 2026, and we just had a baby!! She had a great first night (sleeping until almost 4am!) and felt really good and really strong most the day. We all didn’t go to church, because Clay is so sick and wanted to play it safe with newborn. It was the end of the day and was exhausted to core from just really overdid it and Clay was super bad off and just couldn’t sleep because of his cough. I felt heavy and was just drained.
Riley decided to give Clay a priesthood blessing after some discussion about potentially taking him to hospital and just how we can help him. The blessing was so, so nice and Clay is just so sweet and I felt lots of peace about him being remaining home and his health and future. During the blessing, i had the impression to ask Riley for one for myself as well.
So after, Riley and I went into our bedroom and he gave me a priesthood blessing for my postpartum recovery and wellness. It was such a sacred thing for us. I wish I could have recorded it because all the words were so good and profound for me.
Last week, I had the thought I needed to read my patriarchal blessing, which felt random at time and didn’t get much from it, but with this priesthood blessing it was so cool how it paralleled each other and was really was divine. I felt the heavens open a bit, and all my constant doubts about things faded away in those minutes together and just knew I needed to write down these feelings and experience and remember.
After the blessing ended, I was emotional (in a good way) and told him everything and we just kinda held each other and I thanked him and he said “yah, those weren’t my words.” Which I felt too. It was just really sacred and not sure the blog is the best place to share this . . . But also, just want it for my kids to know truth and feels right. There is power in the priesthood, the heaviness I felt before the blessing and comfort and light after is very real.
Now it’s the middle of the night, and I know I should be sleeping, but also don’t want to forget. The words from the blessing are already mostly faded but the feelings and comfort is there.
For myself mostly: It talked about prioritizing my spiritual health first and how my physical health will follow as I do that. It talked a lot about my mind and brain that I loved and needed to hear. That id have a strong brain. It talked about motherhood and how special and sacred that role is for me. Also, how I would be able to discern light and darkness and need to follow light and avoid the darkness which was really profound as that is in my other blessing a lot. There was one line, that I can actually remember the words which was “recovery isn’t a single day, but a process.” I thought the word “recovery” was intentional and could be applied outside of my own physical recovery but aspects of our marriage and just life. Those are the stand out things I want to remember.
Anyways, Baby is now back to sleep and I will be able to sleep now too but wow, what a special, special draining week it’s been!! Really great with her birth at home, as a family, and this experience with Riley! I just feel very loved and comforted and so blessed to be a mother in Zion.
