Something to celebrate

Last night we celebrated Independence with a hastily planned get together with the Jorgensens.  I want to have a larger scale party in our backyard this summer but our backyard is a shambles with half done landscaping and a lot of friends and family were otherwise busy anyway.

We have the summer ahead of us though.

I am still trying to get used to things like making my bed and preparing meals so I forgot to do key things like get the ponies down from their perch in the tippy top of the garage for Britta.  We still had a nice time.

It's always a nice time with good friends.

It was the last night before David left to serve his mission.  Talk about bittersweet.  When Janet was describing the packing I said, "You are making my stomach hurt."

She said, "Imagine how I feel?"

And I do.  I've thought about her so much.  Dear Janet.  What a hard thing to send a son into the wide world.  I hugged David good-bye with a tight hug and told him I was proud of him and his goodness and example.  I bit back my tears and was for once successful at keeping them at bay.  Nobody needed me to start crying. 

Braeden threw his arms around David and my heart swelled with gratitude. (I may have shed a tear or two then but it was dark in the front yard and nobody saw so leave me alone.) You can't choose who your children will decide to emulate.  David's everlasting kindness to Braeden will do more than any amount of "Be like David!" I could try to preach.

This morning I woke up at 5:00 with a slight clenching in my stomach and thought of Janet.  I thought of her taking her boy to the airport.  I thought of the good-byes.

Then, as so often happens, I coincidentally read something that perfectly complemented my day.  It was from Elder Haleck's talk from the last General Conference.  He was talking about missionaries and said:

With faith and courage they leave their homes and everything that is familiar to them because of their faith in the great good they can do as missionaries. As they act on their vision to serve, they bless the lives of many and, in the process, change their own lives.

That perspective tips the scale a bit and I'm thrilled for the Jorgensen family, for Janet, for David.  How wonderful to have raised a son so wonderful that he desires to go to Taiwan and teach people about Jesus Christ.  Is there a better way he could be spending two productive years?  I don't think so.

It seems like a fitting way to celebrate our freedoms as well.  We live in a country where (based on last night) we can eat copious amounts of food that is both delicious and bad for us.  We live in a country where (based on last night) people can buy copious amounts of explosives and light up the night sky.

And we live in a country where we are free to practice our religion the way we desire.

And that means a lot.