Today Is the Day

I don't know how long this has been in the coin pocket of my wallet. I don't even know where it came from, to be honest.

 But every time I count out change and this lands in my hand, it makes me smile--because I remember.

Remember these empty shelves?

And this empty bed?

And this packed dresser?

And this post?

Today is the day. Today is the day Ben comes home.

I can't believe it's really here and at noon today I'll be hugging my second son as he returns from Peru.

It didn't feel real until I put together his "new" room on Saturday. I made his bed with the quilt I made him when he graduated.

I unpacked his stuff--footballs and rugby balls and swimsuits and workout clothes--all the things he hasn't seen for two years.

To be honest, I haven't looked at any of that stuff for two years, either--it made me too sad. It even made me sad on Saturday, thinking about how long it's been since I saw him play or heard his keys hit the counter or found any number of his beloved shoes on the family room floor.

 That's when I lost it--looking through his shoes. How stupid is that?

He'll only be home for a few months before he heads up to Provo and school, but the room is ready for him.

I'm ready for him. He's missed so much. Two years of birthdays. Weekend trips to the cabin he's never seen. Hugging a nephew he's never met. This is how he remembers his younger siblings:

This is how we all look now:

Eve was four years old. Now she's almost seven.

It's going to be an incredible day.

I'm ready for this.

12:01 pm from LAX.

Here's a quote from my post on the day he left:

The image I will carry with me for the next two years is his final turn back to his family. He raised his fist in the air and pumped it a few times. In my mind, I could hear: "Hurrah! Hurrah for Israel!"--a line from the movie The Other Side of Heaven, a movie my kids have watched over and over on Sunday afternoons.

Goodbye, son. See you in two.

Hurrah. Hurrah for Israel.