The Next Two Years

I kept telling myself that I had plenty of time. The time has somehow shrunk from months and months to . . .

. . . six days.

In six days, I will say goodbye to my Ben for the next two years.

Still doesn't seem real, to be honest.

Two weeks ago (has it been that long already? Why, yes. It has.), all of my kids were together. I loved watching them interact with and tease and joke and talk and play with and pray with and love each other. It brings me so much joy to have them all together.

The most important item on my to-do list while Heidi and Tucker were here was this picture:

All seven of my kids.

When I look at this picture, my heart swells along with my tears.

How did I get so lucky?

It just so happened that the Young Women in our ward had chalked the sidewalk for the bishop, so I took advantage of their artwork.

This picture will be the marker for when Ben gets back--how much the little ones will have grown. How everyone will have changed. Evie will be six and in second grade. Hyrum will be nine and in fourth grade. Micah will be twelve, have the Aaronic Priesthood, and be in seventh grade.

And Lily? She'll be sixteen--driving, dating, cavorting--and a junior in high school.

Oh, and there's also how much these two will have changed--both of them will be two years old. That's hard to wrap my brain around.

This is really going to happen. There's nothing I can do to stop it.

I wouldn't. I wish I could just freeze time for a few moments longer.

It's just really really hard to let him go.