I got a text from Liz yesterday, to tell my little sister Happy Birthday. Is that weird? I mean I will say she and my sister had a connection, even after I started dating Hannah my sister would randomly ask about Liz, or say she missed her.
It's still weird for me, the last time I heard from her was right before I got her wedding announcement, I really never expected to see her name on my phone again, but there it was. Just like every other time I've spoken to Liz since the break it totally ruined my day, since it was after all of the college games were over there was really no chance of recovery until I woke up this morning.
Inevitably a short conversation was stuck, the point when she asked me when Hannah came home was like a twist of a knife. The one girl so far who "got away" who's now happily married, blatantly pointing out how I'm alone. Luckily last night was Saturday night, which means I finished the day writing Hannah. It was good, it motivated me to write more than usual, which I'm sure Hannah will appreciate.
Liz was also the second person this week to one way or another ask about the prospects of Hannah and I getting married when she gets home, Hannah's mother being the first. Sometimes I feel like people who ask expect me to respond, "Yeah, and here's the ring!" I won't be unrealistic, the prospects are good, if Hannah eventually returns to normal that is.
7 comments:
Hey, I stumbled upon your blog and I like to read it because I'm waiting for a missionary guy to come home, so I can often relate. At first his letters were totally normal but as the months go by he sounds like a religious zombie. In recent letters, he doesn't mention a single thing to me except the gospel and his testimony. I think the gospel is amazing and all but I mean, really? This is all they can write about? It's starting to freak me out and I noticed you've mentioned experiencing the same thing. Do you think it's just what happens to everyone deep in their mission, since that's all they are ever exposed to? I'm seriously hoping that he hasn't been permanently changed into a robot because I loved the way he was before. Do you think they will snap out of their daze when they get back in the real world?
I'm told they go back to normal.
Personally I kind of ignore it, sure I give my "that's great!" paragraph or two, but I make sure to always write about the things we would talk about before she left. TV shows, Movies, Friends, School, or Work, I pretty much just try to remind Hannah there's a great big REAL world back here.
Ya I try to do that too, but I'm dying to just get a letter from the old him but I guess I'll have to wait to see him in person. K well thanks for giving me some hope and I hope everything works out for you :)
when nathan left he was normal in his letters... then they turned into religious rant... we started off writing emails weekly directly to each other... after 6 months it went to no more emails... just letters... then after six months it went to emails through his momma.. so they were short and simple and just updates..
when he got home he was normal to me. he was the nathan i loved and adored through his mission.
it can work out. waiting can work for a couple. do i suggest it? no... because for two years i didnt let myself ever date.. of course i hung around boys kised boys...but i always had one foot on the ground...
if you want to marry her.. let her do her religious chat and say the "thats great babe"...but nathan and i always made it a rule that you had to respond to every question so he still had some normal with him the entire time...
That is one of my reasons for continuing to date, I knew that if I didn't things would become stagnant, and only one of us would continue to grow while she was gone.
Sometimes I've felt like I'm still hung up on her, but then I remember I've always taken my time when it comes to dating. There was just under a year from Ashley to Liz, eight months from Liz to Hannah. I guess I've always been a quality over quantity type of person, but I've kept myself open to dating, and I've never said I wouldn't date, even before she left.
I like to think that makes the difference.
OK, you've written enough about wanting Hannah to be normal that I have to comment on this. You do realize, you are waiting for a MISSIONARY.
She left behind her whole life to serve an 18 month mission. Most of the world thinks doing THAT is pretty fanatical, but the gospel was important enough to her to do it anyway. Do you think it's going to get less important to her now that she's been gone six months? Do you think it's going to be less important to her when she gets home?
Being an RM will not mean that all she ever wants to talk about is scriptures and general conference talks and the temple. But those things are and will be important to her, and it's not fair to her to think that they shouldn't be.
She also decided to go on a mission, which means all of those things were important to her before she ever left.
It really has nothing to do with me thinking they're not important things, and I would've been oblivious to not recognize that they were important all along. I'm simply pointing out that there has come a point(because she's on a mission) where the balance between everything that is important to her has momentarily shifted, which is to be expected. However proud of her I may be, I think anyone who has waited for a missionary could tell you just how old ONLY hearing about church-related things in your correspondence can be.
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