Sweet and Sour with Cabbage Dumplings



Seven times before breakfast
I thought to myself, Today is a day where I am going to go sit on mom's couch all day and not move.

Then I remembered how impossible that would be because she isn't home.

And really, she won't be home for the next three years.

Which wasn't so sad as it was today when I kept looking at Ever thinking, "We should go walk up and see my mom so she can smooch Ever's face."

Then me: remember? She isn't there.

Lumpy throat.

And because I've been putting cabbage on my chest intermittently for the last twenty four hours, Chup thought I needed an evening drive. So we drove by my parent's house and he held my hand. He even said,

"I am sad too."

This post might be short because I can't see the monitor on my laptop.

Me right now: blurry, teary eyes.

My parents are actually not two minutes away right now at a place called the MTC. It stands for the Missionary Training Center. You go to the MTC for a couple weeks or months before you head out as a Mormon missionary. Because my dad is going to be a Mission President, my parents will be in the MTC for only five days. Then they will fly out to St. Louis Missouri to live for the next three years where they will help the 180 missionaries in that mission.

Miss. Ouri.

Miss.

See when you are Mormon (are you?) you aren't paid to do these things, you are called. And when you are called you go. You do. It is hard, you miss your family (we can go out and visit!) but you are blessed. And that is why you do it.

When you are a missionary, you are called by the prophet--President Monson and you are "set apart" meaning that you have a special purpose. So on Wednesday my family--half of them anyway--went to Salt Lake City to our church HQ. There, in a beautiful room my parents were set apart by one of the twelve apostles--Robert D. Hales. He was incredibly loving towards our family. I told Chup he was exactly what I believe is Christ-like. I wanted him to stay with us all day. And when he asked if we had any questions, I wanted to ask him so many questions I started to get dizzy. Then I turned to Chup and said, "Should I ask him if we can take a family photo with him?"

But I didn't, and Chup said,

"It was meant to be."

Before he left, he told us our mother was the barometer of the family. If the family is well, our mother will be happy. Conversely, if someone in the family isn't well, our mother cannot be either. It's the nature of mothers.

"If you want to help your mother, be good," he advised.

Then Ever started fussing and I nursed her in that beautiful room.

When that was over my family started to leave the room and gather in the foyer. Then surprisingly we found ourselves being invited to meet the prophet. The prophet. Our prophet. We spent well over a half hour in his office talking to him. Actually, he talked to us--telling us stories about growing up with our Grandma Marion Larsen at Vivian Park and how he fell in love with his wife Francis. And he let us look in his desk:



It was surreal. Because if you are Mormon (are you?) you know how much we adore our prophet. We sing a hymn that about him: We thank thee O God for a prophet, to guide us in these latter days. He is a prophet of God and the leader of our church.

(You can read more about him here.)

Ever was still a little fussy, so I didn't stay in the office as long as everyone else. I went out in the foyer to bounce her around. My mom followed me out. Because see? Elder Hales was so right.

Me: I miss my mom so much already. Did I mention?

Then we watched my parents get in their car and leave--a la the bride and groom off to honeymoon--to the MTC where they will be for awhile before Miss. Ouri. Which sorta brings me full circle.

And I just barely--whist writing this posty--had to remind myself again how I can't go up to my mom's house tomorrow to show her how funny it is to have cabbage leaves on my chest. Or how over the last twenty four hours The Chief only melted down twice(!) and Ever started to turn over and I rubbed off all the dark nail polish she didn't like on my nails and Chup fixed his vintage scooter and would she like a ride around the block?

Instead I'll just be good and go to bed.

My mom always worries I stay up too late.









I am c jane and if my internet friends can help me cure mastitis with cabbage leaves can they also make three years go by really fast?

contact me:
cjanemail@gmail.com

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