time to say goodbye

I hate saying goodbye to people, especially good friends. But last night some women from the ward gathered at the local Cold Stone to do just that. Our good friend, Shirley, is leaving today to move her family to Korea, where her husband has just started a new job. So for one last hurrah we chatted over ice cream, partly pretending that she wasn't going away. I'm going to miss her, though I suppose an ocean and several continents can't stop our engaging conversations about good books. But the distance will make it rather difficult to teach her darling children in Primary each Sunday. I'm going to miss them, too.

from left: Melanie, Shawna, Kristin, Emily, Shirley, Lindsay, and Nicole

Someone else is leaving today, too, but, because we're already so far away, this goodbye isn't nearly as difficult for me. Today my brother, Scott -- err, I guess that Elder Nay would now be the correct term -- is entering the MTC in preparation for his two-year mission to preach the gospel to the people of Illinois. I just got one last phone call from him, made as he was pulling into the MTC parking lot. It was nice to talk to him one last time. He sounded ready. I'm happy for him; he'll be a great missionary. (Though it is hard to believe that he's the last of my brothers to be called to serve. I guess we really are all getting older.) Good luck, Scott! And watch your mailbox for letters from Brooklyn.