Homeward Bound
Sean's coming home tomorrow.
The first thing that comes to mind at that thought is, "I made it!". And that's just for me, personally. Sounds pretty selfish, I know. But truthfully, when Sean left two years ago, I had a really hard time with it. Harder than I thought I would. I knew he'd be going. All of my other siblings have served missions. They've left and come back. I handled each one of them with a decent amount of stability.
But Sean is my youngest brother. We're eight years apart, and yet out of five brothers, he's the one I get along with the best. He always gives me a hug whenever he sees me, and exchanges writing ideas with me. We like the same stuff. He's willing to drag me along with him in video games, even though I'm an enormous liability.
I can't really explain what he is to me. I can only say that he is one of my best friends. And unlike best friends who share no relation to you, Sean is my brother, so I know we'll be stuck with each other for all eternity. :P
Saying that, it's kind of an understatement when I say that I've missed him heaps over these past two years. There have been so many, many things I've wanted to share with him over that time, but have had to sit on it until he gets back.
Now that he's coming home, I know it won't be the same at first. Each missionary on coming back home presents a different scenario.
You've got this person who has dedicated two years (or 18 months) of their life to the work of the Lord. They're used to getting up at at least six in the morning every day and doing service, or teaching, or finding people to teach. They're constantly on the go, and working very hard.
When this person returns home, they come back to their families and friends, and BONUS! a whole future ahead of them that is typically not really mapped out. The change can be really daunting. So it takes time for the return missionary to adjust to not having to work his or her butt off every day, and switch their brain around from setting goals as a missionary to goals they need to start setting for their own personal future.
It's all pretty stressful and traumatic, actually. I haven't experienced it myself, but I have witnessed it in my siblings, and it all happens differently for each individual until they get settled a little.
Because of this, I know that Sean will need some time when he gets home to adjust and get used to the idea that he now needs to get on with his life. It takes longer for some than others. And that also means that I need to stand back, or wherever he wants me, while he takes that time. THEN Cecily and I can pounce on him with all of the movies he's missed.
(Just to give you an idea, the first big movie he missed was the first Hunger Games. He's missed everything from then to the present. There is an abnormal amount of awesome packed in those two years.)
I'm just anticipating too much. I'll want to hang out with him all the time, and I know that I won't be able to, so that idea makes me a little sad. There's no reason to be, though. We'll have time. Cecily's also planned a trip for the three of us to go to Disney Land at the end of February. Again, there will be time.
I'm like an overexcited puppy, I guess - Standing in front of the door, staring at it patiently ...
This entry was originally posted at http://abrynne.dreamwidth.org/695.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
The first thing that comes to mind at that thought is, "I made it!". And that's just for me, personally. Sounds pretty selfish, I know. But truthfully, when Sean left two years ago, I had a really hard time with it. Harder than I thought I would. I knew he'd be going. All of my other siblings have served missions. They've left and come back. I handled each one of them with a decent amount of stability.
But Sean is my youngest brother. We're eight years apart, and yet out of five brothers, he's the one I get along with the best. He always gives me a hug whenever he sees me, and exchanges writing ideas with me. We like the same stuff. He's willing to drag me along with him in video games, even though I'm an enormous liability.
I can't really explain what he is to me. I can only say that he is one of my best friends. And unlike best friends who share no relation to you, Sean is my brother, so I know we'll be stuck with each other for all eternity. :P
Saying that, it's kind of an understatement when I say that I've missed him heaps over these past two years. There have been so many, many things I've wanted to share with him over that time, but have had to sit on it until he gets back.
Now that he's coming home, I know it won't be the same at first. Each missionary on coming back home presents a different scenario.
You've got this person who has dedicated two years (or 18 months) of their life to the work of the Lord. They're used to getting up at at least six in the morning every day and doing service, or teaching, or finding people to teach. They're constantly on the go, and working very hard.
When this person returns home, they come back to their families and friends, and BONUS! a whole future ahead of them that is typically not really mapped out. The change can be really daunting. So it takes time for the return missionary to adjust to not having to work his or her butt off every day, and switch their brain around from setting goals as a missionary to goals they need to start setting for their own personal future.
It's all pretty stressful and traumatic, actually. I haven't experienced it myself, but I have witnessed it in my siblings, and it all happens differently for each individual until they get settled a little.
Because of this, I know that Sean will need some time when he gets home to adjust and get used to the idea that he now needs to get on with his life. It takes longer for some than others. And that also means that I need to stand back, or wherever he wants me, while he takes that time. THEN Cecily and I can pounce on him with all of the movies he's missed.
(Just to give you an idea, the first big movie he missed was the first Hunger Games. He's missed everything from then to the present. There is an abnormal amount of awesome packed in those two years.)
I'm just anticipating too much. I'll want to hang out with him all the time, and I know that I won't be able to, so that idea makes me a little sad. There's no reason to be, though. We'll have time. Cecily's also planned a trip for the three of us to go to Disney Land at the end of February. Again, there will be time.
I'm like an overexcited puppy, I guess - Standing in front of the door, staring at it patiently ...
This entry was originally posted at http://abrynne.dreamwidth.org/695.html. Please comment there using OpenID.