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.