The Kindness of Strangers at Missionary Farewells

One of the greatest things that has come from knowing Tanner are his friends.

Tanner's missionary farewell back in August was one of the !@#* hardest things I have ever had to go through. I spent the whole day trying to keep my "cool face" on, when really, all I wanted to do was go somewhere, curl up into a ball, and cry my eyes out.

No, really, I'm fine...

"Put on a happy face," they told me. "He'll want to remember you smiling.

Well, that worked until about the ten minutes before I had to leave. He kissed me goodbye, and with that I dissolved into tears.

Luckily for me, a young couple had lost their car keys. Liz, who was one of Tanner's oldest friends, and her husband had attended the farewell, and somehow their car keys had vanished. My mom and I offered to give them a ride home, as it wasn't too far off our own route.

By the time they got in the car, I was a mess. Any semblance of Cool Face had completely and totally vanished, and I was sobbing. Not the polite sobbing, but the ugly, screwed-up face, choking noise kind of sobbing.

So much for happy, pretty face for my missionary to remember. I felt like my heart was being ground into dust because I loved Tanner so much, and missing him seemed unbearable.

Liz and Nephi were pretty calm through my sobbing, even though I felt like a social pariah with all the leakage that was going on on my face. I was usually pretty good about waiting to be alone before I fell apart, but I was just too tired and raw to wait that long.

Anyway, Liz and Nephi were recounting their own "How I Met Your Mother" type story, and the whole time I was crying Liz just kept her hand on my shoulder, even though I'd only just met her a few hours ago. At first, I didn't want anyone to touch me, but after a while, her kindness to me, a practical stranger (not to mention one who was sobbing) made me want to cry even harder.

She always told me that things would work out. Whenever I talked to her because I felt lonely and I didn't know how to handle the ache that came from missing Tanner, she always told me things would work out.

And, she was right. I can't tell you how glad I am that she was right! Tanner is my entire world, and he means more to me than any single thing anywhere. I love him more than I ever thought was possible to love another human being.

I really wouldn't have got through missing Tanner so much without Liz's reassurance. And I don't get to see her nearly enough, so I think it's time that we planned a double date. And, I want to come and play with her baby when it's born. I love babies and I bet Liz's is just going to be the cutest.

I'm still so grateful for Liz and her kindness to me that day. It was a little thing, but it's something I will always remember. She was an angel to me that day.

& that's elementary.