“I don’t know how to speak about heaven in the traditional, lovely, paradisiacal, beauty that we speak of heaven – I wouldn’t know how to speak of heaven without my wife, my children. It would, it would not be heaven for me.”
-- Elder Jeffrey Holland
These past couple of weeks have been pure bliss.
We prepared our home for Erik's return.
Kiersten came home with baby Oliver from Denver, and then we picked up Erik from the airport late one night. There is nothing that quite prepares you for welcoming home a child who's been away for a time. I imagine this is what leaving this world might be like.
Oh, how we missed that boy of ours. This was the last photo I took of him as we dropped him off at the MTC 2 years ago,
and this is one I snapped of him returning. Looks like same suit with a few more wrinkles and a bit more faded.
Bright and early the next morning we met at the stake president's office to release Erik and set apart Nate as a missionary before Nate entered home-MTC later that day. President Child commented how this was a first for him . . . having two missionary brothers coming and going on the same day.
Nate's P-day happened to coincide with Tyler's birthday later that week where we spent the morning at the zoo with ALL our children.
Sunday was Erik's homecoming talk and Oliver's baby blessing with family photos afterwards.
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| Photo courtesy Brian Leary |
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| Photo courtesy Brian Leary |
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| Photo courtesy Air and Ember Photography |
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| Photo courtesy Air and Ember Photography |
My heart has been so full. There are still good things to come.
