FAMILY FAREWELL

Jacob arrived home early Sunday morning, April 30 [2010] just shortly after Ben's family had to leave  to get back home for Sunday duties.  He and I and Joseph went to church to hear Seth's farewell talk (the only week he could speak in church because of fast Sundays and ward conference, and the one weekend of the year that Van had a mandatory sales meeting and couldn't be there!)  Seth gave an impressive talk on faith as an agent of change, and shared some profound thoughts on how to increase our faith.  Wow!  I've never heard him talk in such depth or length.  He prepared and delivered very well--he  had many positive comments!  The next Thursday his Dad came home and on Friday the rest of the family started rolling in, first Jon's family, then Sam's, then Katie and Gordon until all were there except Ben's family who had come to say good-bye the weekend before.   What a wonderful time we had.  The family kept going to "Tahiti" (Belle's creation in the garage) and breakfasted and played there.  Go-carts had been such a hit the weekend before that we went back again.  We had a barbeque and created our own best hot dogs and burgers and roasted marshmallows over the firepit.  Laughter, game playing, and conversations floated around as our home was filled with five grandchildren and 6 of our children plus three spouses.   I love to watch children play, and get down with them . .  .we did puzzles together, and alternated shopping and then running the cash register in our little store and kitchen on the back porch.  The weather was so beautiful.  Elijah was fascinated with the play sink and spent most of his time there (as Belle had the weekend before)...the only thing that could compete was ring-around-the-rosy on the trampoline. Little Anna's second birthday was coming in a day or two; she ran around happily chattering and singing and we sang to her.  Isaac and Lincoln played in the park and the kids get-away in the room under the stairs and out in the beautiful weather as we all adored baby Levi.  Good-bye to Seth . . . there were words of encouragement, advice, and affection.   A great highlight of the weekend for me was on Sunday when we had our own family Primary about missions and missionaries!  Isaac and Lincoln repeated the first five articles of faith, which they have down!  We had a singing time about things that missionaries need to learn to do.  Best of all, the returned missionaries in our family shared their testimonies and stories and the kids identified where our family  missionaries (Papa Van and the uncles) had gone . . . into "all the world:"  England, Canada,France,  Brazil, El Salvador, Florida, and now Tahiti . . .  .and what a blessing that has been to us!   We attended church, which was a Fast and Testimony meeting.  My husband, son, and grandsons  bore their testimonies from the pulpit.  After the meeting block, Sunday, May 2, 2010, Seth was set apart by President Gary Riding as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, becoming Elder Cosby and receiving a beautiful blessing.  These are poignant, precious times.  I looked at my grown sons, and Seth, now Elder Cosby . . . our baby (for a time, yes, he was supposed to be the baby for a time, but we got a bonus child in Joseph:)  Hearing the calls of "Papa Van" and "Gramma," through the week, and the sweetest sound in the world, the laughter of little children . . . I was left thinking . . . yesterday . . . this was you, Seth.  It was you we were helping to understand what the Spirit felt like . . . and singing primary songs with.  I only blinked . . . I just turned around . . . and nineteen years have gone . . .