Thursday, October 2, 2014

The Next Two Years

I kept telling myself that I had plenty of time. The time has somehow shrunk from months and months to . . .

. . . six days.

In six days, I will say goodbye to my Ben for the next two years.

Still doesn't seem real, to be honest.

Two weeks ago (has it been that long already? Why, yes. It has.), all of my kids were together. I loved watching them interact with and tease and joke and talk and play with and pray with and love each other. It brings me so much joy to have them all together.

The most important item on my to-do list while Heidi and Tucker were here was this picture:
All seven of my kids.

When I look at this picture, my heart swells along with my tears.

How did I get so lucky?

It just so happened that the Young Women in our ward had chalked the sidewalk for the bishop, so I took advantage of their artwork.
This picture will be the marker for when Ben gets back--how much the little ones will have grown. How everyone will have changed. Evie will be six and in second grade. Hyrum will be nine and in fourth grade. Micah will be twelve, have the Aaronic Priesthood, and be in seventh grade.

And Lily? She'll be sixteen--driving, dating, cavorting--and a junior in high school.

Oh, and there's also how much these two will have changed--both of them will be two years old. That's hard to wrap my brain around.

This is really going to happen. There's nothing I can do to stop it.

I wouldn't. I wish I could just freeze time for a few moments longer.

It's just really really hard to let him go.

7 comments:

  1. I felt this way when my oldest left to spend his junior HS year in France. It was slightly easier with the second son when he left his junior year to also spend a year in France because he would be living with the same family. We had met them and loved them.

    Praying he has a safe and wonderful time on his mission and reaches his goals.

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  2. Love that you were able to have all of them together again for a bit before Ben leaves. I can't quite wrap my head around Micah being in Jr High when they all get back? So much changes in 2 years! Especially them....

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  3. God bless Ben on his travels and you at home, both of you growing and expanding. Not easy for sure, I'm sorry and know it is hard. Love love love your 7 kid pic.

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  4. i heard a really great fireside with emily freeman as the speaker about 6 months ago, and she talked about how no one really talks about how hard it is to actually send your children on missions and have them be gone. i guess i had never really thought about it before until she said that. loved that she said it:)

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  5. You think there's any chance I'll get taller in the the two years he's gone? Because wow, I'm short!

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  6. So heartbreaking!!! And wonderful!!! And where did time go?
    What a fun amazing journey he is going to have.

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  7. What a wonderful photo that is. A real treasure.

    =)

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