I think it is awesome that you and your husband are going down this path. The best part is that you feel good about it. It will bless your life, the lives of your family and many, many others. I love it when the Spirit directs us. Especially when it is to go against the norm and we know it is right. “…and ye will know that it is my me that ye are led…

I remember having a conversation I had years ago with my sister, a stay at home mom with 5 kids. She too thought it was selfish of me to pursue as I was. I don’t think she would say so now however.

Really – in essence – what you will experience is FAR from being selfish. In fact you will end up sacrificing every ounce of your time. You will not have time for much of the things you love outside of the essentials of family, church and your education/training. You are not going to be serving yourself (I’d love to have an hour to exercise every day etc – no such luxury at this point in my life) you will be serving everyone else. You will have to sacrifice the very basic essentials, like your sleep for one. A lot of what I do is done while my husband and daughter are sleeping.

In the end, your sacrifices will be a huge blessing to many.

My daughter is almost 2. I had a big test this am and had been studying while my husband got her ready for bed. I went in for her prayer and right after she stood up and said “Mom, study” and pointed to her door. She wasn’t sad. I wasn’t sad. I think it is a good example for her. I told her that when she gets older and she needs to study that I’ll be her study buddy. : ) I look forward to that!!!!!

I love the principles taught in the first few chapters of Ether. Jared thought – “what if the Lord would lead us to a promised land” – he asked his brother to ask the Lord and the Lord led them promising “I will go before thee into a land which is choice above all other lands of the earth… and there will I bless thee…” Because you have the desire to work and make yourself something that will allow you to do more good for those around you, you will be blessed. Where you are blessed, your family will be blessed. How many kids get to see their mothers work so hard to accomplish something so difficult? Yours will see it first hand then they will know what they need to do to prepare themselves to be a blessing for others.

Here is a favorite quote of mind from President Brigham Young – As I have often told my sisters in the Female Relief Societies, we have sisters here who, if they had the privilege of studying, would make just as good mathematicians or accountants as any man; and we think they ought to have the privilege to study these branches of knowledge that they may develop the powers with which they are endowed. We believe that women are useful not only to sweep houses, wash dishes, make beds, and raise babies, but that they should stand behind the counter, study law or physic [medicine], or become good book-keepers and be able to do the business in any counting house, and this to enlarge their sphere of usefulness for the benefit of society at large (DBY, 216–17).

Here is the link to the lesson manual where I found it: http://lds.org/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-brigham-young/chapter-19-the-relief-society-and-individual-responsibility?lang=eng

The quote above is given under the heading “Sisters should “magnify, promote and honor the life they now possess.”

Good luck as you go down this exciting and challenging path. It will likely be hard, you will likely have times when you wonder if it is worth it. Remember: “All things precious are as difficult as they are rare”. This quote is on a plaque on the campus where I went to medical school. It has definitely been helpful to remember this many times along the path. May you be blessed in every thing you need.