Sometimes You Just Wonder ...

Today was the last Sunday before Laney leaves for her mission. It still has not hit me yet. I don't know why it is so close and yet seems so far away, but it does. It just seems so natural to me ... like, of course she is leaving for Mexico City in three days. What else would she be doing? I didn't feel the same way when she left for college. Then I felt like a bit of an emotional wreck as each day brought us closer to her departure. It seems like I should be feeling similar feelings now. After all, she's going to be heading out of the country for eighteen months ... eighteen months that I will have limited contact with her. She'll send an email once a week, and I get a phone call on Mother's Days and Christmas. That's it. I should be freaking out. This nervous mom should be freaking out. But I'm not. It just feels right.

Well, today as she stood before our congregation and spoke to us I was floored by the woman she has become. She was so poised and calm as she gave her mission farewell talk. I thought she did better than many adults as she shared some of the experiences she has had in the last four months and how they have prepared her for serving a full time mission. She spoke with power as she bore testimony of several principles of the gospel, and she was able to easily relate common experiences to greater gospel ideas. She is well prepared for serving the Lord for the next eighteen months. She has learned how to stay positive, even in the face of very trying circumstances. I am sure that as she heads to Chile and experiences the normal difficulties of trying to share the gospel with a sometimes unwilling public and adds to that the difficulty of having to do this in a foreign language, she will find that her trials of the past are probably not as difficult as they seemed to be. But because she has learned the basic principles of how to handle such situations, she will have the tools she needs to find success and happiness as she serves. It will be inspiring to hear her experiences as she shares them with us.

As she spoke today I sat in wonder, trying to imagine how such a poised and intelligent young woman came from my parenting. I don't imagine myself to be a master parent. I don't imagine myself to be crazily rigid or demanding. In fact, I am a bit wary of any parent who believes that they possess magical perfection when it comes to parenting. But somehow, despite all odds, Laney has grown into such a confident and outgoing young woman. She is able to speak in front of large gatherings without obvious nerves. She is able to create powerful and moving talks where she does not read a prepared text, but instead she relies on the Spirit to guide her words. I don't think that this occurred because of tremendous drilling instruction by her parents. I don't think I have done much to help her in this process. Instead, I think that she is a perfect example of how Heavenly Father works. We just do the best we can, even with all of our deficiencies, and the Savior makes up the difference. I can see this in Laney. I am grateful for such a plan that allows our growth while at the same time allowing us to see the powerful of a loving Heavenly Father and Savior in our personal lives. What a blessing!

Three more crazy days of preparation until Laney leaves us for Mexico City. It's going to be a wild few days, but we'll be prepared ... eventually. Stay tuned for more news of Laney's exciting departure!