Some Things I Miss...

A couple of times this past weekend, I snapped a picture and thought, "Oh, that would be a great picture to send to my son."

And then I caught myself, because my son is back living with us. I don't have to send him pictures anymore.

My son has been home from his LDS mission for exactly four weeks as of today. He was gone for two years, and just like that, he's back. While he was away, we got into certain routines. Each Monday, I would e-mail his a letter and I would also send him pictures. Ever since I began posting a Pic Of The Day (for five years plus...), I always had a choice of pictures I could send him. I especially liked sending him pictures of the pets, and our cat Gracie is a natural ham. Most of the pet pictures I sent my son were of her.

So, as I did some writing and editing this weekend, I snapped some pictures of Gracie and thought my son would like to see those. Strange how those routines stay with us.

At work today, I thought about the 104 Mondays when I would wait by my computer for an e-mail. Even though we're so glad he's home, I do sort of miss some things.

Next Week, It Won't Look Like This...

 Each Sunday a program is printed for our local congregation and on the back side is a list of those serving missions. Next week it won't look the same. A couple of names will be missing.

And I'm going to miss that.

But only a little.

Just over 29 years ago I wasn't a dad preparing to pick up his son. I was the one preparing to be picked up. I remember certain things about that day. Our plane made an unscheduled stop in Oslo which meant we missed our connection at JFK. Which meant we had to spend the night in NYC (the one and only time I ever set foot on New York State soil...) and caught a flight to Chicago. We then went to Casper (or Cody--I don't remember which...) then finally we made it to SLC.

I was very tired and extremely jet-lagged.

But I remember and hope to never forget the feeling I had getting off the plane and seeing my mom, and family waiting to welcome me home.  There are few feelings that can match being loved by those you love and returning to those people after an extended absence. We've been preparing for day all week. This afternoon we took three blank poster boards and turned them into easily-recognized messages. It's a physical symbol that will inadequately express how we really feel.

So tomorrow our lives will change again and our son will come home. Just as everything that has a beginning must have an end. Tomorrow each of us in my family will have endings and new beginnings. Lives will change; doors will close and windows will open. Yes, I will miss some things about the life we've lived these past twenty-four months.

But only a little.

Why I'm Waiting Until February To See The New "Star Wars" Movie...

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There's a couple of factors that made me decide not to see the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens when it comes next week. Even though it pains me greatly, I've made up my mind.

1. We don't see a lot of movies in the theatre. A lot of my friends say (when talking about certain movies...), "You've got to see this movie in a theater," or "this one was made to be seen in a theater." Most of the time I ignore this advice and just wait until it comes out on Redbox. I know waiting until it comes out on DVD that I'm missing the whole "theater experience," but when you see maybe one film a year in the theater, you've demonstrated that the "theater experience" is not that important. At least, it's not as important as forking out the big bugs these films cost nowadays.

2. Since this will inevitably be the most successful film of all time, the hype associated with this film is possibly the most prolific of all time. Millions of words have already been written about the film and it's not even out yet. The show is everywhere. Today, while shopping, we saw a R2-D2 humidifier for $55. There was also a box of Yoda marshmallow cereal with--and here's the important part--collectable boxes. It made me wonder just how many "collectable" Star Wars things are out there. Plus, overhyped stuff has the potential to deliver large disappointments (even thought, I personally believe this is going to exceed even all the hype...).

3. But if you offered me a private screening at no cost to me whatsoever, I'd turn it down. Why? The main reason I'm waiting a few months to see this show is this: I'm waiting to see the show until my son gets home in February. My son is serving a church mission and he won't be home for a few months. One of the many missionary rules is no movies, unless they're church movies used to help proselytize. When I was a missionary, the big big movie that many of us wanted to see but couldn't was Back the the Future. I had to wait a year and a half to see that one.

So, I told my son I'd wait to see the show until he gets home and we can see it together. I know I'm running the risk of having it be gone from all theaters--even the dollar theaters--in February. And if that happens, I'm okay with it. There will be more Star Wars movies coming out in the future...

And there's always Redbox.

* Photo used without permission from: http://bgr.com/2015/11/11/star-wars-the-force-awakens-photos/

A Nice Gesture...

I didn't expect to get a picture sent to me this morning, a picture of my son who is serving a mission. If you're unfamiliar with Mormon Missionaries (or if all you know of them you've learned from The Book of Mormon musical...), the missionaries leave home and spend a year and a half or two years away preaching the Gospel.

And they don't have televisions.

This weekend our church held it's semi-annual conference where we receive instruction from church leaders. In America we can watch it on cable. Since my son and his mission companion (they're always together...) have no television, let alone cable, they watched conference at a home of a fellow member. At 10am, MDT, my phone buzzed and a picture of my son and his companion appeared on my phone, along with a nice message saying how nice it was watching conference with them.

Tonight my wife commented on how this will be the last conference my son will be in the mission field. The conferences are held every six months, so six months from now, he'll be home. I remember several decades ago when I was a missionary and it was conference time. Of course, we didn't have televisions, either. And even if we did have TVs, there's no way we would have been able to pick up a broadcast of conference in Denmark.

As we watched conference from the comfort of our home this morning, it was just a little bit better thanks to a nice gesture from a stranger. Then again, the church member's not really a stranger. She took in  my son, didn't she?

Mother's Day, Missionaries And Skype...

Each religion has its own unique customs. And ours is no exception. One of the oddities associated with the religion to which I adhere is the sending out of missionaries. Other religions do the same, but I don't know the rules of their missionaries or the missionary families.

I do know the rules when it comes to our missionaries, partially because I was a missionary decades ago and because our oldest son is currently out in the field (missionary field, not a corn field...). So, as I check Facebook on this Mother's Day, the posts are filled with families gathered around a computer screen, talking to a son or daughter that's currently far from home.

Today was the first time we participated in the Missionary Mother's Day Skype Call. It was a great experience. We got to see him, hear him, ask him questions and just enjoy his company, albeit for a short time. And my son's grandparents dropped in and they were able to participate, too. I was also able to carry around the laptop and show my son the cats, the dog, the newly painted deck and the new house being built across the street.

Things certainly have changed in the past 30 years. When I served my mission, a portable computer capable of transmitting audio and video signals in real time was the stuff of science fiction. I believe we could call home every once in a while, but that was it.

Rules say missionaries can call home twice a year, on Mother's Day and Christmas. Looks like we'll be doing the same thing in only seven short months.