A Day of Goodbyes and Hellos

On the way home from Visalia today we found the above sign along the way. It was worth a good laugh, and a, "Turn the car around Den and go back so I can take a picture of that sign." I wonder about the poor soul who wrote it.

But that's not what this post is about.
It's about my nephew Nick who got called to the Argentina Meuquen mission!As you can tell, I don't think he enjoyed having his picture taken, but he was sweet about it anyway.

Den and I left home about 8am, heading for Nick's farewell. We took Austin and Chandler with us being Logan and Amy can't fit all the kids in one car since the twins have been born.

So Logan and Amy and the other 5 kids were right ahead of us the whole way there.A good cozy family feeling.

Chandler suddenly said he was feeling car sick.
Thankfully I had my sea bands with me. They seemed to help him within about 10 minutes.
Logan and the kids back together again. Not sure where Amy was at that very moment, but I know she was there.

I have to admit that my favorite part of the day was this:Holding them both at the same time all snuggled up together brings tears to my eyes.
Oh how blessed I feel. No words justify my feelings.
Like I told Amy today, "First comes the trial, then come the blessings."
To which she replied, "And the trials make the blessings even sweeter."

After our church service we all went to my brother John and Suzanne's for a great feast.
The Roziers always have the best potlucks.
With salads as beautiful as this one:I am putting a picture of this in my recipe book. I love the combination of colors.

Nick will be flying off to enter the Missionary Training Center on June 10...the same exact day his grandparents (my parents) got married 58 years ago.

As I sat listening to his wonderful talk today, I couldn't help but think back to the times when I was the parent of a son happily getting ready to go on his mission. The feelings of separation, to me, felt brutal at first.

But then I soon started noticing the blessings. And did they ever come!

What a great 2 years that was for them, and for our family.
That feels so trite to say now. But they really were 2 GREAT years times 4.


We also went to Nathan Barnes mission homecoming today!
He just returned from the Oklahoma Tulsa mission.
Welcome Home Nathan!!!

We also stopped by the 'going away party' for Mark and Miranda Roberts and their 3 children. They are leaving this week for Puerto Rico for FIVE YEARS because of his job.
What a special dear-to-my-heart family.
But like Miranda and I were discussing tonight...because of blogs it's never really goodbye.
Besides, I refused to say that word today.

6 comments:

Dad and Susan said...

Jill, What a beautiful post. Thank you for recording our day in Visalia also. It was such a special time to be with almost all the family. We loved it. What a tremendous support the Rozier and Hawkins families were to Nick and John and Suzanne. It makes all the difference, doesn't it? Love, Dad and Susan

Eileen said...

What a nice day for you! I love those 'family time' get-togethers. And all the 'good-byes' and all the 'welcome homes', all part of the wonderful moments of our lives. And you are so right about the Blessings that come our way, sometimes when we are least expecting them. This was such a nice post, and I love the pictures of the babies! Isn't that the best? Oh, how a moment like that leaves a lifetime impression on the heart! It's just magnificent!
If they could only bottle that!

And thanks for the post about the wasps, we're going looking for those 'fake' nests tomorrow!

Lisa said...

What a FULL day you had. I think that your day is the kind of day that makes living life all the worthwhile.

I'm going to miss the Roberts so much. Nathan looks awesome and your nephew going to Argentina!

The twins look like porcelain dolls. So perfect. You are truly blessed.

grandmapeg said...

What a fun day you had!! And what a "lap full" you have with the twins!! They are growing fast, but that picture sure looks like fun. Those days of sending off our own missionaries sure don't seem that long ago when you think about it. What blessings we received from those days! Thanks for sharing your day.

Richard said...

We loved the farewell and the potluck too...although it was more luck than pot since we didn't contribute. We also had a good drive to St George after it was over arriving at 1 am and then finally home to Alpine by mid afternoon Monday. All in all a great trip..so good to see the family.

Eileen said...

Just stopped over to thank you for your very nice comments on my blog. I appreciate your good wishes, and I appreciate your visits to me, and I appreciate so much more you sharing your life here on your blog.

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