Christmas with a Missionary

Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sacrifice a lot. Young men, "elders" commit to serving 24 months. Young women or "sisters" serve 18 months. They voluntarily leave their home and families to go to a place that the leaders of the church prayerfully select for them. I know of a young woman that opened her mission call today. She turned in her paperwork the weekend before Christmas and she has learned that she will leave in March to serve a mission in Korea. It's a crazy whirlwind once the mission process begins.
Keely turned her paperwork in the middle of June. She opened her call on June 21, 2014. She entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Sept 10, 2014. The summer flew by. We bought clothes, a bike, a luggage set and various sundries all in preparation of her year and a half in Orlando Florida.
We went through the Portland Oregon temple for Keely's first time through the House of the Lord. We also visited the Seattle temple and were sealed as a family for all eternity. Once we arrived in Utah, we visited the Logan Utah temple and the Salt Lake City Utah temple. It was an amazing journey filled with spiritual moments and family bonding.
The MTC no longer allows family to come in to say good-by. You drop off your family member on the curb. Another new missionary greets them and then whisks them off. That worked well for us. Keely and I had traveled alone from Olympia to SLC. We had plenty of time to talk and prepare for that moment. I felt happy when I said good-by. I knew at that moment that we would be okay and that she was where she has always planned on being. What a relief.
Keely was at the MTC for 12 days. The missionaries stay longer if they learn a foreign language. Keely speaks English on her mission. Even though that seems obvious, there are missionaries in Orlando that speak Spanish and Haitian. 
She was allowed to call me from the SLC airport waiting to board the plane to Florida. It was a great phone call. She sounded excited, energized, scared and happy. It was quick but it was great to hear her voice and the sense of enthusiasm. I was happy for her.
Now I was well aware that our communication would be limited.Missionaries are only allowed to call home on Christmas and on Mother's Day. I was prepared for that. I know that she can more easily concentrate on her service and mission work if she does not have external distractions. I even understand and respect that I cannot friend her on Facebook even though she has a missionary page with her Ipad. I respect and obey the instruction that we are not to message back and forth on Mondays when she writes her email. As hard as that is for me, I get it.
So Christmas for any missionary family is a glorious day because you get to speak to your missionary. People kept asking me if I was getting excited for the call. I didn't really know what to expect so I tried not to allow myself to be excited. Usually it is done face to face via computer if your missionary resides where technology permits. Jack and I were able to Skype with Keely. She contacted us just after 4 PM on Christmas, 7 PM her time. As soon as she saw us, she started to cry. I was prepared for that. We were given 40 minutes to chat. There is a timer on Skype so you an keep an eye on your time. We mainly talked about her mission. She has only seen her mission president 3-4 times since she has been there since she is about 1.5 hours from the mission office in Orlando. The area that she and her companion tract is 7 miles from where they live. So when biking they have to bike 7 miles each way to meet members, investigators or knock on doors. They are well fed by the members and the woman whose home Keely was calling from, assured me that she would be driving them back to their place that night. She is eating meat and doing well with that. She loves what she is doing. She has never been scared and feels people overall are friendly. Then the time started to tick away ever so swiftly. Keely seemed to panic a little when the time was almost up. She began to cry again. Only this time it was painful. I think she was crying because she didn't want to say good-by. We won't talk again for 5 months. And that will be 40 minutes again. Not much time to fill each other in about our lives. 
I asked her not to cry. It was breaking my heart because I knew there was nothing I could do in that moment to make it better or easier. I ached for her. I remembered my first Christmas away from home. It's hard. You are supposed to be with your family on Christmas. And when you're not, it hurts. I understand that. And of course it doesn't feel so great at home either. I miss her. I wish we could have had more time. Christmas and Thanksgiving were meager for Jack and me. There was something, no someone missing.
But I can't allow myself to dwell in sadness. I am proud of my daughter and the choice she has made. I know this time will fly by and she will be home in the blink of an eye. And I am privileged to receive emails from her weekly. And her written words are like music to my soul. I feel so close to her. She expresses herself just as if she were talking to me. And that makes me happy. I feel her personality in every sentence. And she sends pictures. I have seen her Bell's palsy nearly disappear and her gorgeous smile return. I see the landscape of Cocoa Beach and Rockledge. She lives in a gorgeous area with people that surround her with love and support. I am not worried about her but I miss her.
So that Christmas call was wonderful and hard.  I remember when I first dropped Keely off at preschool at the ripe old age of 2 1/2 that she never looked back. I was jealous of the parents whose children clung to them with tears in their eyes. Keely's teachers assured me that Keely didn't do that because she was well adjusted. Now I know that she loves what she is doing and that she will bring souls to Christ. My wish is that she will keep moving forward and enjoy every moment as she gives her time, her talents and herself to those that she serves.

3 years gone by

2011 was a hard year. We watched Kenny grow weaker and weaker. We were in the hospital more than I can count. We struggled alongside him as he made decisions to try to prolong his life while oftentimes destroying the quality of his days. It was difficult to watch. As a nurse I've watched this dance with death play out countless times before but now it was in my home, my family. The stakes were higher than ever before. I wanted to have my kids emerge as unscathed as possible. We were in a battle for their dad's life and we were losing.

Kenny was diagnosed with stage IV rectal cancer in June 2009. We visited oncologists and surgeons in Olympia, Seattle and Renton. We decided that the care he could get in our own backyard was as good as what was offered in the big city. And not one doctor sugarcoated our situation. From the get-go we knew all options were palliative not curative. That meant that we would try to prolong Kenny's life but there was no cure. He would not survive this.

He endured two and a half years of chemo, radiation,surgery and ablation. He suffered through every chemo treatment which he received every 2 weeks with the exception of a one month break period. We knew the chemo nurses and the oncology floor staff better than we knew our extended family. We saw these professionals regularly.

He fought the good fight. More than I wanted him to. I thought the agony he endured was too great a price for him and for us. He had physical pain with constant nagging nausea, an abscess with a drain that persisted for weeks,no months. It was awful.

Yet he didn't want to give up. I once asked him what his goal was. It was to see Jack graduate high school. We had 5 years to go at that point. Kenny died when Jack was in 8th grade.

I often say that his dying was much harder than his death. Seeing a once stubborn, quick to anger, not afraid of anything man become frail, tender and humble was overwhelming. The time he was given definitely helped ready him for his passing. While he never wanted to die, he did become accepting of his fate.

So renal failure was his ultimate downfall. Or so they say. The last time we went to the oncology care and saw Kenny's oncologist, his lab work was off. He was in kidney failure. Needless to say, his chemo was cancelled and we were told to get him directly admitted to the hospital. Once there, his kidneys never completely recovered. They hydrated him with IV fluids and his numbers rallied a little bit before we were finally told there was nothing more to be done. Kenny's mental state was poor at that point and I became the decision maker and spokesperson. 

They talked to us about hospice. He had never wanted to die at home. I asked for an inpatient situation. There was none. So against my will and Kenny's wishes, he was sent home to die. His biggest fear was that he would die in pain so I knew I could help with that even though I often felt powerless in his end of life care. They told me it would be fast. 

He came home on a Saturday. Hospice admitted him on Sunday. The nurse told me that based on his heart rate and mental state, she thought he would be gone in 48-72 hours. He hung on for another 36 days.

That time was awful. We were richly blessed by friends and family that sat with Kenny, fed us, distracted us, prayed for us, let me sleep, let me work, let me out for a day of Christmas shopping. I will forever be grateful for all those that ministered to us. 

Kenny's death was quiet and seemed peaceful. His last breath was taken during a Beatles' tune, very fitting for him. There was no struggle, no gasping for breath, no furrowed brow. He had Cheyne-Stokes breathing for about 2 minutes and then he was gone.

And now three years have passed. Some moments on his final days seem crystal clear as though it happened last week yet most is a blur. I suppose that eases the heart a bit.

My family has survived. Keely is on her mission in Orlando, FL, Jack as a junior in high school. And me, I work days at a computer. Our lives have changed, mutated. We have for the most part found that new normal of life without Kenny. Most days are good. Some days like this one are hard.

We were sealed as a family this summer. We have the opportunity to be an eternal family. I hope it plays out the way that I see in my mind's eye and feel it in my heart.

I pray that Kenny has found peace. I believe that he is being taught, just as I am, of the Lord's plan for us. I pray that he accepts that plan. I strive for a forever family and will try to live each one of my days living up to my end of the covenant.

Liken the scriptures to yourself

Firstly, I definitely didn't put a subject line for last week's email, so that was my bad.

Secondly, A1A (like in "Ice Ice Baby") is in my area. So no big deal, I'll just baptize Vanilla Ice.

Thirdly, we were supposed to go on a temple tour a few days ago, but our investigator bailed on us once we got there. We still walked around the grounds, though. So that's what the first picture is.

Fourthly, we went to the beach today for district p-day! It only happens every three months, so it was a huge blessing that I got to go AND that it finished off the best weekend ever (because of conference). So those are the last two pictures. The last picture is of my district and the sisters from left to right are: Carpenter, Hart, Stratman, Ransom, me, and Allison. The elders are: Lavin, Black, Jurges, Ferguson, Donnelly, Tucker, Jensen, Stokes, and Ziegler. It was so much fun. Also it's totally possible I spelled most of those names wrong, but whatever.

Fifthly, my address (hint hint) is still:

10502 Satellite Blvd Ste E

Orlando, FL 32837

I honestly have no clue what to even talk about...So much happens, but it all feels so long ago. J cancelled almost all of his lessons last week because he had some issues. We don't really have any other investigators, but we're working really hard to find more. But that's actually the hardest part. A huge part of our mission is that we're supposed to talk with everyone. Literally everyone. The guy in the car next to you at a red light, the lady ringing you up at the grocery store, the guy sitting in his garage....EVERYONE. Let me just tell you: that's really scary. That was probably my biggest issue when I got to the mission (let's be real. It's still my biggest issue). But I really loved what Elder David A. Bednar said in his talk at General Conference yesterday about why we share the gospel. The gospel has made such a difference in my life. I love it more than I can explain. It's centered in Jesus Christ, and I am unbelievably grateful for Him. Because the gospel makes me so happy, I want to share it with everyone I know. That's why I'm on a mission. To share this amazing gospel that I love so much with my brothers and sisters.

OKAY. I'm not going to assign (suggest...whatever) a specific chapter of scripture to read this week (except you can totally read Alma 26 if you want. All about missionary work basically. Way cool), BUT I'm going to suggest something you should do like all the time. Whenever you're reading the scriptures and come across a general or plural pronoun (I think that's what they're called) like "the world" or something like that, replace it with your name! So D&C 18:10 would become: "Remember the worth of [your name] is great in the sight of God" and John 3:16 would be "For God so loved [your name] that He gave His Only Begotten Son". It's an amazing way to remind yourself of how important you are!

I hope you all know how much I love you. I love hearing from you. I love hearing about what's going on in your lives, I love hearing about your struggles, I love hearing about your accomplishments. Please know that hearing from you doesn't distract me. It helps me to keep going. Thank you all so so so so so much for your continued support.

I recognize that this is like the world's shortest email, so sorry about that (but if you have any questions you could just write me a letter). Again, I love you all so much, and I love this gospel too!

-Sister Keely Burnette

Keely in Rockledge FL

With pictures: again, the palsy is still present in my life. Forgive that. Speaking of palsy, at the Ogden Temple Rededication, one of the speakers mentioned that Jesus healed the palsy. Meant for me to hear? Yes. But yeah, I'll look like a goober in pictures for the next little bit.

SO. Here's me at the beach. That's the Atlantic Ocean behind me. Crazy, right? I would like to send a picture of me and Sister Hart, but she has to send it to me first.

Week 1 is basically officially done! I'm serving in the Rockledge Ward, and my area is Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, and Cape Canaveral. We don't get to go on the beach EXCEPT for on district p-day, which should be next week!!! My trainer's name is Sister Hart. She's from Provo and she has two transfers left, so I'll probably be her last companion. Oh, and I know my district here way less well than I did at the MTC because I'm not with them the entire day. But our district leader's name is Elder Tucker, and he has two companions, Elder Black and Elder Lavin. They're serving in our ward too. I think there's like...six companionships in our distric. Including the zone leaders, Elder Furgeson and Elder Ziegler.

And I know at least a few of you will probably ask me how the weather is. Honestly, it's not bad. It's different than Washington, but that kind of makes sense, so... Sometimes the air feels kind of sticky, and when it rains, it pours, but it's all good.

The members here are AWESOME. There's about 700 members of the ward, but only 200 active (so we've got a lot of work to do concerning less actives). But all the members I've met have been so welcoming, kind, and eager to help.

So my very first night here, we had our first lesson with this guy named Jamey. He's getting baptized on November 1. Apparently it's basically unheard of to have a first lesson and a baptism within one transfer, so that's great!!!! I've met some mean people while street contacting, but it's so worth it to find the people who are prepared to hear the gospel.

We had to drop one of our investigators because he wasn't progressing, so that was kind of sad. But definitely necessary. Right now the only investigator we're teaching is Jamey, so we're really working to get more investigators. But he's AWESOME.

In Alma 57:25, Helaman is talking about the Stripling Warriors after the battle is over and he says: "According to the goodness of God...there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds." Life is hard. We're not going to get through this unscathed. We'll have trials, we'll sin, we'll have things go wrong. That's just a fact. But through the goodness of God and through applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ, WE WILL GET THROUGH IT. God knows what we can handle, and He loves us, so He'll make sure we're strong enough to get through whatever we're dealing with.

I love hearing from all of you!!!! Keep letters and emails coming. I love letters because I get to check the mail every day. Again, the address is:

10502 Satellite Blvd Ste E

Orlando, FL 32837

And that will be my address for my entire mission. For packages and letters. OH and send me pictures because I love seeing them.

And if I haven't told you to read Alma 36 yet, read it. And if I have, read it again.

So much love,

Sister Keely Burnette

My Mom

Yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of my mom's death. I remember that day as a blur yet still pieces of that period are clear. It is as if my mind took snapshots of moments in that day.
I remember the first phone call I got. It was a paramedic from Portland, OR. It was sometime around midnight. I had gone to bed. I don't know if I was asleep but I know that the phone ringing at the hour had me instantly alert. This man was telling me that my mom had been vomiting during the day and her caregiver had called 911 because my mom had collapsed getting out of bed. He wanted to know if I wanted them to do anything for her such as IV fluids or transport her to the closest hospital. He said she had a POLST form and they needed to know how to proceed. Now my mom was a fainter from way back. She had passed out since she was a young girl. She did not do well in heat or long car rides. As she aged, she fainted a couple times under a hairdryer and several times just getting up from bed. The most memorable collapse was when she and my dad had visited us in Tallahassee FL. My mom had the flu. I was sleeping during the day as I had worked the night shift. My dad called my name in a startled, concerned way. My mom was not responding from the bathroom and my dad had heard a thud. Her body was against the door so it took some force for me to open the door. Feeling no pulse I told my dad to call 911. I got her on her back on the floor to start CPR and she started to breathe. By the time EMS arrived, she was responding but her speech was slurred. They never did find anything wrong but my whole family knows that she was never the same after that event. Her memory was altered that day never to return again during this lifetime.
So back to the night of the phone call. I didn't know what to say. I didn't remember that we had switched my mom to comfort care. Did IV fluids seem extreme for vomiting? Was it "heroic"? I thought it seemed reasonable. Rather than make a decision I turfed the call to my sister. We decided to send my mom to the hospital for evaluation.
I did go back to bed. I know I slept off and on. Definitely not restfully. I spoke with Charleen on the phone a few times. I spoke with the ED MD. Charleen and her husband Bill had gone to the hospital, saw my mom. The decision was made to give her morphine because she was moaning and seemed to have some abdominal pain. Bill and Charleen went home to shower and prepare for the day, Sunday. Soon after Charleen got the call that our mom had died. I feel badly that she died alone. None of us thought that it would happen that fast. I like to think that her last image before closing her eyes for the final time was of her firstborn child being at her side whispering comforting words to her. I hope she didn't die feeling alone or scared. I am relieved that it was swift and seemingly painless.
I remember going late to church that day. By the time Keely and I got there, the sacrament had already been passed. After the service, I asked our bishop if we could still receive the sacrament, explaining why we were late. Keely and I were taken to a classroom in our church building. Pieces of bread and cups of water were prepared and blessed just for us. I had never felt the atonement of Jesus Christ so personally as I did in that moment. I felt grateful, loved, protected and comforted. The sacrament prayer seemed clearer than ever before. I understood Christ's sacrifice in a way that I could truly feel. I was truly amazed at the love he offers me.
When my mom died, I was mainly relieved. With her memory loss, life had been hard and frustrating for her. After my dad's death, I brought her from CA to Olympia,WA to live with us. One year later, Ken was diagnosed with stage IV rectal cancer and life started to spiral out of control. Soon life consisted of working full time, oncology appointments, raising kids, taking mom to appointments,being her caregiver, supporting Ken through his crisis, I stopped managing well. Too many balls to juggle if you will. So the decision was made to move my mom to an adult family home in Portland near my sister. She was in the first adult family home for less than a year and then we had to move her again to another AFH that we loved. The owner was tender, patient and sweet to my mom. She received good care but she was never happy there. Or when she had happy times, she could not remember them. Death brought peace. She was able to be reunited with her parents, sister and husbands.
So as I write this, I am crying. It feels healing. It is good to be able to relive that time in my mind. I barely had time to mourn my mom's passing when it happened because Ken's deterioration started soon after. He was placed in hospice 2 months after I lost my mom. I needed to concentrate on the living and the dying. Now I can say that I miss my mom.I am sorry that my kids never knew her as a crossword freak who could balance a check book like nobody's business. I know she would have loved the internet to research our family history. She was a genealogy sleuth before it was popular. She could cook an outstanding meal and organize to perfection. She always hoped that she would never lose her mind as her sister had with Alzheimer's. Her last years were not what she had hoped for. I know now that she is restored. Her mind is clear and functioning to her liking. She has been reunited with those that she loves. I am certain that she is happy. And for that I find joy.
Until we meet again Mom, I miss you.

Keely Hits Orlando

This morning I got the first of 5 possible calls that a family get from their missionary. Keely had left the MTC and was waiting at the SLC airport to depart to Orlando FL. Full time missionaries are only allowed to make calls home on Christmas and Mother's Day. And they are allowed to call home as they leave for their mission area. This was a good day.

Keely sounded great. There was fear and apprehension in her voice. But more than that, there was contentment, excitement, resolve, power and joy. Her fear was one I had not expected. She had such a great companion at the MTC in Sister Lewis that she was worried that she will never have one that she bonds with as well. She said that people asked them if they had been friends before because they were so close. I pray she will have other companions that will feel as comfortable and as familiar.

Her apprehension was of the unknown and if she's ready, She has prepared most of her life for this opportunity. I have no doubt in her faith or her ability. She and her message will be rejected. Doors will be slammed, dogs let loose, slurs made. There will be days that she will wonder what she got herself into or if it's worth it. And I know there will be evenings that she will be on her knees praying for strength and comfort. And because of those moments, her testimony will grow and she will be given all she needs to do it again tomorrow.

Her excitement is about all that lies in front of her. She looks forward to new companions, new places and teaching opportunities. She wants to share with others the thing that has made our lives feel happier and richer, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Her power comes from her faith, her intelligence and her willingness to serve. She has always been blessed for her unwavering obedience to the Lord's commandments. She has knowledge of the scriptures and an understanding of the Great Plan of Happiness. She has the Holy Ghost as her constant companion through it all to provide strength and comfort.

We talked about life here at home. I wanted the time to tick slowly before it was time for her to go. But all too soon came the goodbyes and the good lucks and I love yous. I look forward to Christmas.

Keely enters the MTC!

Tonight I am sitting alone in my motel room in Baker City, OR approximately halfway between home and where I dropped off my daughter this afternoon. Keely entered the MTC (Missionary Training Center) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to serve her 18 month mission in Orlando, FL. I thought my heart would feel broken. I had been warned about the anguish that affects many parents as they drop their child off and drive away. I heard that ice cream in some form eases the pain. My experience seems somewhat easy in comparison.
I cried when we hugged good-by. I know I will miss her. I know when holidays and birthdays roll around, her absence will be palpable in my home and in my heart. But overall I feel grateful, contented, proud and tired. I am grateful for Keely's choice to serve this mission. I am grateful for loving friends and family that have supported her and our family to get to this point. I am thankful for the gospel on the earth that brings peace in a often hostile and cruel world.
My contentment stems from my joy in seeing my daughter embarking on a journey she has desired to take since she was 6 years old. She has planned for this day most of her life. Now that it has come, there is a sincere satisfaction in knowing she is where she wants to be and where she should be. This is one of those parental paydays.
I am so proud of Keely. She has done a lot of preparation to get here. She has saved money to help fund her mission. She has prepared spiritually by reading scriptures, magnifying her callings and attending the temple. She has endured the physical embarrassment and discomfort of Bell's palsy which has challenged her confidence but not her will. She has stayed strong with her eye on her goal.
.As for being tired, I mean both physically and emotionally. The last few weeks have been crammed with shopping. A missionary needs clothes, luggage, a bike, essentials. Trust me it's a lot of stuff. The emotional roller coaster has been in full swing as well.There are mixed emotions of joy, sadness, doubt, faith all mixed with an extra generous portion of stress. It is exhausting.
But in the end, it is overwhelmingly amazing. The last 6 hours in the car, I had plenty of time to think. For me it would be selfish to be sad. My daughter is doing what 2 other young women did for me 13 years ago. They left their homes, found me and shared the gospel with me. Now Keely has that same opportunity to change the lives of some people in central Florida. I'm so excited for her. It's not like she is going off to war. She will be safe, She will have awesome experiences that she will talk about for the rest of her life. She will grow and learn in ways I cannot yet imagine. And she will learn to serve and love in deeper ways then she ever has before.
I feel blessed.

Let's Talk Getting Ready.

Keely received her mission call to Florida Orlando mission. I had hoped for somewhere exotic, foreign, English speaking, cool and safe. So here she goes to a part of the continental US that is about as far away from Olympia WA as she can get. She will be English speaking but there is Portugese, Spanish and Haitian within her mission area. It is not cool as far as the temperature, average high is 92 in the summer and as low as 71 in January. She will have rain year round, with the largest rainfall typically in June at 8.5 inches. Exotic?Perhaps as it is one of the few states to offer alligators,wild boars and chameleons. She will experience hurricane watches and perhaps have the opportunity to see the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Her opportunity to meet people from other lands will be huge due to the high volume of tourists and immigrants residing in the region. And as far as safety, it depends where she is. Orlando's crime index is ranked as 2 (with 100 being the safest) while some areas in her mission are as high as 63-67. All in all, I think she has a great opportunity to witness multiple walks of life and cultural diversity while serving in central Florida. It should be a wild adventure.
So preparing for a mission takes work. There is physical,emotional and spiritual work that must be done. I am able to help with some of that but the rest is up to Keely. We have bought clothes and shoes but we are still actively looking for more. We need to buy her a bike and have it there at least 2 weeks before her arrival. We want to get a camera, luggage set, messenger bag and bike accessories within the next month.
She received her temple recommend on Sunday so now we are trying to schedule the day when she will attend the temple for her first time. We would love friends and family there but we must pick a time that fits around our work schedules and hope that we do not exclude loved ones.
Keely is currently being challenged by Bell's Palsy.The left side of her face is paralyzed.She has ear pain,extreme sensitivity to sounds and tingling on that side. Her eye stays open at rest so she needs constant moisture to that eye. It is frustrating, uncomfortable and embarrassing. Please keep her in your prayers.
We have been blessed by people's generosity and support. We are so grateful for the love of our ward family and I am humbly awed by the members' willingness to help. She is not even gone yet but I feel the love and faith of our brothers and sisters in the gospel. We are and will be supported by those we cherish. And for that I give thanks.
She reports to the Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Sept.10. My plan is to drive her there so we can see family in Utah, visit a few temples and then drop her off a the doors of the MTC.

Keely's Mission Call

Keely received her mission call on Friday, June 20, 2014. She had been waiting for the last few days for it to arrive. Actually she has been waiting for it to arrive since she was about 6 years old but after submitting the paperwork and being interviewed by our Bishop and Stake President, she knew it was due anytime now. She checked the mail box diligently on Wednesday and Thursday but agonizingly,the packet wasn't there. Friday morning she urged herself out of bed to go check the mailbox.Imagine her surprise when the mail box itself was gone. She found our mail box in a ditch in front of our house, the apparent victim of a random baseball bat attack. Keely was heartbroken.She tried to fix the mail box but to no avail.What if the mail lady had already driven by and seeing no box available, had simply continued on her route? What if when she did arrive she would see no way to deliver the letter and ignore our place? Keely then called me at work. I did my best to calm her fears and offer a few suggestions. In the midst of our conversation, a little miracle happened. The mail lady drove up at that moment. Keely was able to greet her at the roadside. I could hear Keely through the phone, "I've been waiting all week for this and now we don't have a mailbox." At that moment I knew my daughter was holding "the call". I could hear the change in her voice, not to calm but to enthusiasm. There was a lilt in her tone. After all these years of wanting and waiting for this moment, it was finally here. So there stood Keely, amidst a broken mailbox and strewn garbage from the night before pranksters, clutching the most precious piece of mail she has ever received. In my mind's eye, I see her there looking radiant among the worldly garbage tossed carelessly around her as she holds the white envelope that she has longed to have. And in my heart, I feel proud, scared, excited, hopeful and overwhelming love for my daughter.And in my head, I realize a new chapter has begun.