Preparing to go

Welcome to my first attempt at blogging. I thought of this idea the other day: to keep a blog during my son James' mission service. While mostly it will contain emails and hopefully pictures from James for all to read, it will also be my way of trying to put into words the thoughts and feelings of a mother who is almost as excited as James to have her son be sent to Mongolia. James comes home from his first year at college tomorrow. He has two weeks at home to get ready for his mission. Some of that time will be getting more shots, Doctor appointments and getting all the required list of items packed into 2 suitcases. Luckily, he will be purchasing the winter clothing in Mongolia, because that would take another suitcase by itself. It will be very cold there, but I let him know that "many are cold, but few are frozen." The rest of the time he will be here, we will be feeding off his energy and excitement about serving his mission to Mongolia. One text message he sent me regarding trying to convince me of the urgency of getting all the necessary paperwork, passport and shots, went like this: "mom, you've got to help me get this done, this is a once, maybe twice-in-a-lifetime kind of thing!" So, I text-ed him back with words of assurance and a question regarding the "twice-in-a-lifetime" comment: "So maybe Mission President down the road?" He just answered, "who knows, I just have to do what's right." Doing what's right, simple, basic, that's what life is about.