Thursday, August 21, 2014

Returned with Honor


SHE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




I was really planning on this being a pictures only post. I had envisioned tons of super fun photos of everyone hugging and crying and laughing and hugging again. But true to Crisis Center protocol, there just had to be a story involved.

When a missionary comes home it's a big deal. We Mormons love to make it even a bigger deal. I wanted to be an uber cool mom and make sure Hermana Crosgrove had no doubts what-so-ever that we were excited to have her back.

When I take the Little People into public (try not to do that more than I have to) I like to put all red shirts on them. They are easier to keep track of that way. That backfired the last time. At the yearly town celebration I gathered up some children for lunch that weren't mine....they were wearing red shirts.

The Man and I decided we should have family shirts made just for such occasions and they should be really bright orange or some other color that would mark for certain a Crosgrove as a Crosgrove. We also decided that Nichole's homecoming and the trip to the very public airport would be the perfect place to try out these shirts of awesomeness.

And then there were the signs that must be made. A giant banner, twenty feet long at least, stating "WELCOME HOME NICHOLE" that could be held up for her as she walked down the airport corridor. And another sign to be displayed on the highway for the whole community to know that she was back and we were ecstatic about it.

Things didn't quite work out as planned.

First the shirts. Because of all that went on last week (Miracle, Still) I didn't get them ordered. When I went to the shop on Monday they were back logged and assured me that shirts could not be made in time. I decided to just make the signs extra cool and maybe add some balloons.

Then life happened. Our basement flooded. For three days we were able to nothing but rip out sheetrock, carpet, and insulation. Instead of putting things in order and arriving calm cool and collected we were back to flying by the seat of our pants and just hoping to get to the airport in time.

We didn't.

Her flight was half an hour early.

No banner. No shirts. No balloons. No cameras. Not even her family. Just a set of Grandparents to greet her (thankfully).

The Man dropped me and the children at the entrance and then drove away to park the van. The banner drove away with him, still rolled up and stowed away.

As we came down the escalator at the airport there was a crowd. Over a hundred people all holding "Welcome Home" signs. There were balloons, posters, flowers. These were the cool families that have it all together. I spied my father-in-law and I could tell something was wrong. Nichole had already come through and she had made a bee-line for the bathroom.

Guess where Mama Crosgrove and her entourage of Little Peoples went? Right into the bathroom after her. I couldn't help it. I wasn't waiting another second. We caught up to her as she was washing her hands. The bathroom is now filled with screaming, crying, hugging, oh my goodness let me hold you some more Crisis Center inmates.

And a couple of really confused women just trying to use the restroom.

I would have loved to have had those first moments captured on film. I would have loved to have done everything like normal people for a change. I was more than a bit disappointed in myself.

And then I heard Nichole's side of the story.

She had been reluctant to even get off the plane. She wasn't ready. She knew there would be a massive family and lots of fanfare waiting for her and she didn't want it. She had just spent the past year and a half of her life completely forgetting about herself and focused on bringing souls to Christ. Her stomach was roiling at the thought of having all of the attention just on her.

She was praying that somehow all of the hoopla and commotion would go away and she could just have time to slowly adjust to this new life of hers. As she came down the corridor and saw all of those signs and balloons and eager faces she prayed again. "Please don't let any of these people be my family."

God answers prayers.




















1 comment:

  1. That last picture made me cry, full out cry! It is good to have a good cry first thing in the morning.

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