Tuesday, June 24, 2008

the best dang farewell talk



Marcus' farewell talk totally rocked. He was constantly shifting between NT and BOM scriptures and linking them together so well. He is ridiculously ready to go. My favorite part of his talk:
My parents have been living examples of faith. And not just faith in the Lord. They showed incredible faith in me, even when I didn't have much in myself. Back when I was still thinking about whether or not I would serve a mission, one day I was having car trouble. I was talking to my dad about it. "Marcus," he said, "it's time for you to stop worrying about things with four wheels and start worrying about things with two." I took his advice and got a motorcycle.
He may have taken an extra year, but now his time is here. Even if Marcus questioned whether or not he'd go, none of the rest of us did. We knew him too well -- knew who he was past the fog of Amanda.


So, the talk was incredible. Showing off Betsy was great, too -- and so was being off duty while various friends, neighbors, and relatives all took their turns holding her. Kate especially loves Betsy. She can't get enough of her. And Marcus has been soaking in all the time with her he can. It makes me so happy to see him enjoying her -- and so sad to think of how much we'll miss him. Especially that Tanamo.

We'll take him to the Empty Sea tomorrow and say goodbye. I'm glad he's going, but saying goodbye still (always) bites.

5 comments:

Jill Skouson said...

Cute family pic! Marcus has been in my thoughts today. He'll be a great missionary!

Ryan and Chelsea said...

Having a sibling away is the most bitter/sweet experience. (I miss my sister tons!) But it leans on the sweeter side the better you know they are as a missionary! I love your family picture also - man do you all look alike! What a gorgeous family!

Michelle said...

I love your family pic! I can't believe how "grown up" everyone looks! Kate's baby boy is looking sooo old! Man, where does the time go?!

And yeah, it's always hard to say goodbye, but it's so great when they come home from their mission and to hear how much they have changed! I still haven't seen Kevin, but I have talked to him and it's just great!

Jamie said...

You can definitely see the resemblance in your family! Good luck to your bro on his mission - my sister is currently on her mission and I have to restrain myself from writing her "Just come back home already so you can hang out with me!"

The Weed said...

Jamie--so true. I looked at the family pic close up and it almost looks like parents with two sets of twins. I've always thought Mickelle and Kate looked really similar, and now that Chase is older, he looks tons like Marcus.

Mick--that last picture of Betsy slays me every time I see it. Such sweet surprised innocence, perfectly captured. It's an awesome shot.