Saying Goodbye to my brother
So each Monday I always get a surprise... Usually within the late morning or afternoons!
I get emails from one of my favorite brothers!! Elder Dunnington knows that in order to
be in good standing which his sister, it's mandatory to keep her updated on how he's doing. It's all because I'm his nosey sister and I miss him and thus I have to know what's up.
Before he left on his mission he was what you would consider, a class-"A" Jerk. Now I only say that with complete Love! He doesn't really deal "well" with any stress or anxiety whatsoever and as his older sister, I was the one that pushed him to get everything ready before he left for his mission. I was so ready for him to leave that by the time it was time for me to say good bye at the airport I may or may not have felt excited!
Through out the past year I have grown much closer to my brother ironically since we're so far apart and haven't seen each other. I promised him that I would write to him at least once a week. Progressively his letters have changed. At first he was super intense while at the MTC, which is SO hard to imagine since he's a total perfectionist and a FOCUSED individual. (He freaks out if he's not on top of everything, he has the hard expectations of himself and others.) Eventually, he would write to me and say he was sorry for being a complete jerk before he left on his mission and how grateful he was that Jon and I helped him prepare for the trials he now bears while being on a mission.
One of the greatest reasons why I get excited to hear from him, is that I completely look up to him. He's so wise and great with common sense, he's like my mini-Buddha! He tends to help me stay in line and keep myself in check with my priorities and goals, like: Is this really going to effect me and my family in the long run, Is this really for the best, am I really doing what I need to strengthen myself spiritually, do I have a relationship with my "higher power." Some tough stuff that really makes you think about what you do or say and how it effects your loved ones around you!
Here's some highlights from his letter to me today:
"...A couple of days ago I fell asleep in the bath and then woke up...totally reminded me of when I fell asleep in the bath Christmas morning and then Jon walked in the bathroom and found me so that we could open presents. Also, a family we saw told us about how their ten year old son saw "The Exorcist" and said, "It was dumb." I'm like, yeah right, you know you were completely freaked out. But that's not important though.. It was funny because I think what freaked me out the most, was having those random bats fly in to attack us in the middle of the night. Do you still have family movie nights? Don't have too much fun without me.
Any news on the art gallery? I hope you're having fun with it. You've always been super talented and it's definitely a gift given for a reason. Well, say hi to everyone for me and that I love them. Good luck with everything and I'll keep praying that things go well.Love,
Elder Dunnington
P.S.
Well, love you Meredith.
P.P.S.
Def Leppard sucks."
See why I completely look forward to Mondays?!
I feel lucky and grateful to have an awesome family! I have the two coolest brothers in the world. They are both so flipping smart (I rely on them for lost of useless and random facts), keep me in line, as well as have awesome talents that I envy. I know that none of my siblings and I look alike but at the same time we all have a couple of similar traits: We love our family, we try our hardest in anything we have interests in, and we're effortless cool (last trait my not apply to myself but it sounded awesome anyway!)
Yay for Mondays People!
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