Insomnia.

Why I feel the need to blog, instead of sleeping is beyond me.

I'm getting on a plane to visit my sister and her family in five hours.

I watched a home video of a son coming home from his two year mission, and his family greeting him at the airport; their first meeting in years.




He instantly found his mother out of the crowd. As she reached for him, I imagined her heart thinking, "Oh! There you are. I missed you." She simply held onto her son, and didn't let go.




She just held him.




The Father was next. He hugged him tightly, then pulled back to examine his son. The look they exchanged pierced my heart. It was a radiating look of approval, pride, and respect. All that time spent a part, was all worth it for that moment.

And I thought of heaven.

It will be just like that.

Meeting people after so long, and just thinking, "There you are. You made it home!"

When I found out my sister was pregnant, I was ecstatic! I was about 4 months along. Our babies would be close in age, just like our older two sons are! When I was on bed rest, we would call each other, discussing strollers, remedies for unrelenting nausea, and trash TV.

Two months later my water broke.

We cried together. The ugly, body wrenching, soul shaking cries. She was one of the only people I was actually capable of talking to while I was in the hospital. Even though she was, quite literally, across the country from me, she stood by me through one of the hardest things I have gone through. She is one of my best friends.

I was determined to be there for the birth of her first daughter.

On March 6th, almost exactly 7 months later, I got to see her baby enter this world. And it was balm to my unknowingly achy soul.

Her labor was hell.

Which would make sense, seeing as how we ARE related.

At one of the most unpleasant times, my brother Mike and her husband Jordan gave her a blessing. As I stood sobbing in the corner of the room, Jordan sweetly told my sister there were members of her family who have passed on, that were watching over her.

My chest felt like it would burst. And I could almost hear my boy say, "I'm here."

And I basked in that notion.
I let it resonate through my bones.

Then, almost as quickly as her daughter was born, I felt a strong reassurance that he was gone; he was needed elsewhere. Feeling him so close was a final gift for me, to wrap up our story. He was the tragic ending, but he was a part of this new perfect begining; sweet Tilly Kay had made it to Earth! No doubt in my mind, they were together, just moments previously. I walked over to the table where Tilly was laying, brand new from heaven! I looked her in the eyes and my heart vibrantly told hers, "Thank you."

So, after watching the video of the missionary return to his family today, my mind wandered to a final reunion I look forward to with my own son. I hope to hold him in my arms and think, "Oh! There you are. I missed you."

And then we will know, all that time spent a part, was all worth it for that moment.