nobody said it'd be easy, they only said it'd be worth it.

today, i have the word goodbye on my mind. some goodbyes are sad, others happy. some goodbyes are permanent, while others temporary. a year ago from today i said goodbye to one of the most important people in my life. but this goodbye was almost all of these goodbyes combined. it was sad in the sense that someone i was in love with was parting with me for two full years. it was happy because he was making the right decision and doing exactly what he was supposed to be doing at that time in his life. but the truly happiest part was that this goodbye wasn't permanent. missions are amazing because after two years they get to return to their family, friends, and loved ones. (two years though? really??) i love the quote defining a missionary. it says..."a missionary leaves their family for a short while so that other families can live with theirs forever." throughout this school year i have loved going to our mailbox and seeing so many letters from all around the world. we are keeping in touch with people from madagascar to germany. brooke and i have even turned our sacrament and work time to writing elders back time! i even saw brooke cry once saying goodbye to some friends... and that never happens :) yesterday, karli started her own journey of having to say goodbye to someone she loved dearly for a temporary two years. hearing of her heartache i couldn't help but to feel so glad that i could be there for her because of my own experience. everyone talks about the missionaries "BEST TWO YEARS" but what about the girls they leave behind? if we had a movie named after us would it be called the "BEST TWO YEARS" ? or the "MOST HEART-WRENCHING, THINKING TOO MUCH TOO OFTEN, MISSING THEM TOO MUCH TWO YEARS" ? as hard as it is to live without them, hearing of their growing experiences is truly amazing. i have grown so much spiritually just by hearing of their encounters and experiences. i am so excited for karli and can't wait to live up these next two years with her! here's to goodbye's. the good and the bad. the beginning... but not the end...