My parents left.
My mom was here for an entire month after Carter was born and my dad was here this last week. We are very sad to see them go. When we told Matthew that they had to go, he said, “No! Matthew’s house!”
We had such a good time with them and it’s not because my mom is Mary Poppins. It’s not just because she does all of our laundry (which is a full time job for a family of 7) or because she gets up with the kids and feeds them breakfast while we sleep in, or because she paints the girl’s fingernails and reads to them and rocks the baby or because she spends the afternoons with them while I take a nap or because she keeps them while Josh and I go on a date to see G.I. Joe with Spanish subtitles – which is not the same as the Transformers, but if you’re a good wife, you already knew that.
Nope. It’s for lots of other reasons like the fact that she and my dad love our kids in a way I only hope I can when we have grandchildren of our own. We all feel loved. Not to be morbid or anything, but one day when Josh preaches at my mom’s funeral I want him to say, “We knew how much she loved us”. Why don’t we say these things before people die, like when they can actually hear us?? I think we should all have our eulogy (pronounced Yoo-goo-glee) before we die, you know, so we can hear it and all. But I’m post – partum and sleep deprived, so it may be wise to take what I say with a grain of salt. Maybe.
But since I am post-partum and a little cray-cray, I’ll tell you that at my Dad’s funeral, I want Josh to say, “He made us laugh and laugh and laugh”. He taught me to be so funny – I know y’all know what I’m talking about. I know you have been wondering where I got my stellar sense of humor… Now you know. It’s in my genes. I mean, I can’t even help it sometimes… For reals.
He also gave me a love for music. And animals – although I’ve temporarily abandoned this love, since I have 5 little people at the moment. It kind of trumps other hobbies and stuff. He made me think I could do anything I wanted to do. He made me believe in myself. I hope to give this gift to my children.
I think we should all give each other eulogies yoo – googlies whenever we can. We should tell people how we feel. We may not always have the chance.
Mom and Dad, we are so thankful to have you in our lives. You love us so well. You support and respect our decisions as parents (and missionaries). You love our children. They miss you everyday. I don’t discount the sacrifice you have made and are making for us to follow the Lord’s calling on our lives – a calling that takes your children and grandchildren very far away. You have submitted to His will with grace and a great trust in His plan – even when you don’t understand. We see it. Our children see it.
Don’t worry, I’ll say all this at your Yoo-googlies.
We love you,
Emily, Josh, Anne Elise, Ava, Jak, Matthew and Carter
The Long View 