BITTERSWEET HAPPINESS

Nothing is more bittersweet than raising children.
It's hard.  It's messy.  It's frustrating.  But it's mostly pure joy.
The worst part is that if you do your job right, you work yourself right out of job..........
and they leave.

Last night was one of those bittersweet tender evenings.

* Tyler (Bonehead #2) got his mission call!

He gathered his friends in a conference room at the dorms at BYU.
Garrett went to Tyler's house (I KNOW!  You thought that Tyler was my son....I mean just because he slept here 5 nights out of 7.....) to turn Skype on.
Tyler was worried that it wouldn't work or something.
So we gathered in front of the computer at Tyler's house with his family and he opened the big white envelope.
I wish you could see the video.
It's on my FB page and I don't know how to import it to Blogger (it's not my video.)
Tyler is going to the Ukraine Donetsk Mission speaking Russian.
He goes into the MTC on May 5th.
It's perfect, a relief, scary, awesome, and wonderful all at the same time.
There are so many emotions for everyone.........it's too hard to even describe.
Congratulations to Tyler!


* Garrett (Bonehead #2) went to the dress rehearsal for "Grandview's Got Talent."

I know that doesn't sound like it even comes close to getting a mission call. Hang in here with me.
So Garrett had to be at the high school at 6, which is why Tyler opened his mission call at 5.
Then I drove Parker over to the school for lacrosse at 7.
I thought I would drop in the dress rehearsal and see how it was going.
It was chaotic and completely disorganized.........duh!......run by high school students.
But when I came back to pick Parker up at 8:30,
I stopped back by the auditorium.

I wanted to watch Garrett...........
because he's my "baby" and my heart was so full........
and it's as if YOU are onstage.
I was just as nervous and excited and hopeful as he was.
I wanted so much for him.

It was dark.
There was a family of 3 sitting in the very front row of the auditorium.
The rest of the place was empty.
I went down and sat behind them.

A disabled girl was wheeled to the front center of the stage in her wheelchair.
She was in a white formal gown with pink butterflies and feathery tulle.
She had a small tiara on her head.
She looked nervous and scared.
The lady in front of me yelled, "You're going to do great."
She reached up and gripped the microphone.
The music came on and we could see her count to herself......5.....6......7......8.
And she sang along with Miley Cyrus..........

"You tucked me in, turned out the light,
Kept me safe and sound at night,
little girls depend on things like that.

Brushed my teeth and combed my hair,
Had to drive me everywhere,
You were always there when I looked back."

I watched as the parents video the whole thing with tears streaming down their faces.
Tears streamed down my face.

There - in that moment the hopes and dreams for those parents were coming true.
Their daughter was up on stage.
She was beautiful.
She was happy.
She made it in a high school talent show.
Her peers stood in the wings with silent respect, awe and admiration.
For that one moment, that girl was not disabled.
She was soaring.

We all have the same hopes and dreams for our children.
We want them to be happy.
We want them to have friends.
We want them to be accepted for who they are.
We want them to do their best.
We want them to succeed at whatever they do.
We want them to know they are loved.
We want them to grow up to be the same wonderful people they already are - just bigger.

And then........it happens and it is wonderful and joyful and incredible and sad and heartwrenching.

To the Bonehead Brothers -
you make me laugh
you make me yell
you make me cry
I love you both!

Happy Friday!