“Perhaps you don’t consider yourself all that useful; perhaps you don’t consider yourself a blessing in somebody’s life. Often, when we look at ourselves, we see only our limitations and deficiencies. We might think we have to be “more” of something for God to use us—more intelligent, more wealthy, more charismatic, more talented, more spiritual. Blessings will come not so much because of your abilities but because of your choices. And the God of the universe will work within and through you, magnifying your humble efforts for His purposes. His work has always advanced on this important principle: “Out of small things proceedeth that which is great.””
-Dieter Uchtdorf, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
“And I know that the Lord God will consecrate my prayers for the gain of my people. And the words which I have written in weakness will be made strong unto them; for it apersuadeth them to do good; it maketh known unto them of their fathers; and it speaketh of Jesus, and persuadeth them to believe in him, and to endure to the end, which is life beternal.”
(2 Nephi 33:4)
“When we open up about our emotional challenges, admitting we are not perfect, we give others permission to share their struggles. Together we realize there is hope and we do not have to suffer alone.”
-Reyna I. Aburto, Second Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency
I’m delaina. I’m a member of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints and WAS a divorced single mama. NOW REMARRIED, I FIND IT AS IMPERATIVE TO SHARE MY JOURNEY OF finding hope, joy, and success after loss, betrayal, and rock bottom AS BEFORE. i’m here to share my story of god’s powerful hand in my life and how without him, i wouldn’t be where i’m at today.
I’ve always been one to share my thoughts with the world because of that calling I feel I have. After that initial note on Facebook, I continued to share thoughts I had about life on Facebook and then on Instagram. I then decided to start a blog in 2013. It first started out as “Once A Convert, Always A Missionary” as it stemmed from when I got baptized at 18 years old into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 2012. I then got married in 2016 and it turned into “Forever Fields”. Life got crazy, I neglected the blog, but I continued to share impressions and thoughts on my Facebook and (mostly) on my Instagram page.
Then came the end of 2017. I had my precious baby boy Leonidas (a.k.a. Leo, the greatest human on the planet).
In 2018, I realized my life had not been what I thought it was. My world shattered before me. Everything I knew, or thought I knew, was put into question. I all of a sudden had no idea what my true reality was. I felt as though my life had been a lie. I got knocked down HARD, and all of this was happening while I was battling with postpartum depression, anxiety, and OCD. My son saved my life. He was what was getting me through each and every day. When I felt unloved and or unneeded in this life, I looked at my son and remembered my purpose. The love and joy that beams from his eyes when he sees me is indescribable. He is my reason.
I separated from my then husband that year. We stayed separated for almost 2 years, and it was without a doubt the hardest, most heart breaking and challenging time I have ever faced in my life. While I was fighting for my family, it became clear that I was fighting for more devastation.
Throughout those almost 2 years, I’ve learned and experienced so many things. I’ve learned how absolutely powerful we all are when we truly believe in ourselves, recognize our worth, and fight for what we believe in. Making the choice to finally walk away and move to Utah after that time of separation was not just heart breaking since I fought so hard, but it was incredibly empowering because I realized what I deserved, and what I didn’t.
Because of this heartbreaking trial, I’ve been forced to face my demons head on. All weaknesses I possess have been brought to the surface as I’ve been battling with trying to stay strong for my son. This has been the biggest blessing in disguise. I have been forced to either turn this situation into an incredible transformative time in my life, or to drown. I chose to transform; to bloom in the dirt that I was planted in, to adjust my sails and to use this time to become the best version of myself. I was thrown into the lion’s den, and instead of being eaten alive, I tamed the beasts. All of a sudden I felt myself literally blossoming into this woman I had always wanted to be. I found purpose, renewed passion, and my spark that was dimmed turn into a full on fire.
My story is really empowering and something I knew I couldn’t keep to myself. We moved to Utah because of a strong prompting I felt, with less than $200 in the bank, and jumped into the unknown with lots of faith, hope, and prayers that then led me to finding a great job, landing myself in a career I never imagined, fully supporting my son and I, and growing in ways I never thought I could. It’s a story that’s full of hope, love, God, and success after loss, betrayal, devastation, and hopelessness.
For awhile I had the hardest time trying to articulate my story of what I’ve been through the past few years. For awhile I was broken, ashamed, embarrassed, uncertain, insecure, and just not quite ready to share my story yet. How could I share my story if I didn’t even really know where my story was going or what was even happening? I knew, though, that one day I would receive clarity and be able to share it for the purpose of helping others. God reminded me constantly that my pain was meant to help others. Time has come and gone, and now I finally feel ready to continue sharing my story in a more meaningful, impactful way. As my divorce is now coming to finalization, I felt prompted to start this blog after many prayers and many months. It’s been a hard road, but I wouldn’t trade what I’ve learned along the way.
I’m here to share that:
– Divorce isn’t the end, but a beautiful beginning if you allow it to be
– Single motherhood doesn’t have to mean you lose yourself and everything you have, but rather it can mean that you build yourself an incredible life, career and find your true purpose and ACT on it
– You can be utterly successful and do whatever you set your mind to
– Life is really hard for everyone and NO ONE has everything figured out (which is okay and normal!)
– And lastly, vulnerability is incredible. It is not a weakness. It is an incredible strength that takes work, guts, and courage that brings us all together as humans who all mess up, go through hard trials, struggle, and are figuring out life as we go. I’m here to help those around me embrace it and develop a love for it in their own lives as I have in mine.
I believe everything we go through in this life is meant to help others when we use those times to become better versions of ourselves. I believe and live for vulnerability. The raw, the real, the messy. NO ONE’S life is perfect no matter how perfect it may look on the outside. Every. single. human. has their individual trials and hardships. Why not help whoever we can along the way by being vulnerable and sharing our stories, to help others know they are never alone? This is what I hope to do by creating this blog 🙂
Why did I name my blog Laina Leigh?
That’s when the name Laina Leigh dawned on me (my middle name is Leigh).
What can be more personal and vulnerable than naming my blog the name that only my loved ones have been allowed to call me?
In my mind, nothing.
I felt the spirit of the Lord just pour over me when I thought of naming my blog Laina Leigh. It’s incredibly personal to me. I fought the feeling to be honest. I battled with it in my mind many times. But, this blog isn’t just going to be another blog. This blog is crafted for the purpose of fulfilling God’s plan that He has for me. I’m sharing my story, my life, with you all. It’s going to get personal at times. It’s going to be uncomfortable for me at times. But the biggest, greatest growth and opportunities to serve come from getting out of your comfort zone and being vulnerable.
Now, before you all start calling me Laina, I will say I’m not ready for the world to start calling me that. 😉 but when I get there, I’ll let ya’ll know. For now, I’m still Delaina with a blog named Laina Leigh.
God is the author of my story and I am just the vessel in which it is shared. There is purpose to our pain. I am living proof of that.
fun facts about me:
– Dance + music are the perfect equation that equals bliss and happiness for me
– I’ve never gone out of the country
– If I had to describe myself in one word: Passionate.
– My favorite season is spring
– I can fall asleep literally anywhere
– I hate scary movies
– I believe peanut butter and/or avocados can go on almost anything
– Water is my drink of choice
– I’m terrible at coming up with fun facts about me
I’m SO glad you’re here, and I can’t wait to continue this journey and see what unfolds from it. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my writing. I hope to be able to connect with many of you, so don’t be afraid to reach out and say hi! 🙂 I would LOVE that! Let’s be friends and help each other in this thing called life.
Feel free to reach out to me at anytime on the contact form that you can fill out here, or on my Insta.
xo, Delaina