God Be With You Till We Meet Again...

I just returned from a work trip to South Carolina. It's always interesting when I leave to take note of who contacts me and what they decide is important to share with me while I am on the road.

This time I left my mom and sister and her two kids at home with The Marine and all the recruits. They had come out for Recruit 1's graduation, (pictures will be posted soon). I was sad to leave, but glad my kids were able to spend a little more time with them.

One of the days I was gone my oldest called. I took a quick break to see what was up. Everyone else had gone to the beach and she had stayed home. She's been sticking close lately.

Recruit 1: "Mom, wanta hear something?"

I was in middle of working and figured it was a joke, or worse an incident of one of the little recruits about to be recounted to me in horrible detail. Recruit 6 had been awful to our cute little cousin.

Kelli: with dread, "oh, okay, sure, but real quick."

Recruit 1: "Hold on, I'm going to set the phone down on the piano."

Seriously? I'M WORKING....

I waited for the horrible details to be described to me of whatever my little angles had said, done, broken, etc.

Then I heard her start playing the piano. A real song. With BOTH hands. She has taken lessons on and off but I've always wanted the kids to start learning to play the hymns and they never really did.

This was definitely a hymn. I listened and all my attention was now riveted on what I was hearing.

I KNEW this song. I could actually recognize it. Then it hit me what hymn she was playing.

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

The moment was not lost on me. She was leaving in a little over a week to begin a life where I would no longer be involved on a daily basis. She was flying to be over 1500 miles away from me. 25 hours to drive.

This part of having children is about really turning to Heavenly Father and digging into your faith. It takes courage. You need a lot of courage when your children get to where you have to turn them over to themselves. (I learned that from a dear sister here.)

She's been taught, I tried my best. Did she listen? I have wondering and worrying over that.

I don't want to have to dig in and have courage. I hate having courage. It means to have courage I have to face and endure something I fear or am anxious or uncertain about. Then I have to have faith to overcome my fear. I really have crazy talks with myself, be glad only a small portion is blogged...

I teared up and misted a little in the hallway outside that hotel ballroom as I listened to the halting rendition.

The last notes sounded on the piano and I said, "Wow! When did you learn that?"

Recruit 1: "This morning when everyone went to the beach. I just wanted to stay home and I sat down and just learned it."

I didn't want to give into the boohoo I knew was coming. I had to go be the perky conference lady. Doesn't look good if you boohoo before you go in and try to be perky.

I wiped a tear off and said, "Why did you pick that song?"

It's a hymn that was sung in a few wards to our family on our last Sunday before we would have to leave for a new duty station. I always dreaded it. I don't like to cry. I am super woman in case you didn't know. Super woman doesn't cry. She grins and flashes a confident thumbs up. I always cried. My thumb always wavered as I left my friends every three years to go find new ones in another place.

Recruit 1: "I don't know, it was just the one I chose."

I was pulling myself together and needed to get back to work.

Kelli: "Well I am so proud of you. All alone and you sit down to learn a hymn instead of doing drugs! You are such a good girl!"

Recruit 1: "Well thank you... no, no drugs..."

She did listen! I am grateful for the ways in which the Lord let's me know to dig in and lean on him and that all is well, all is well....