I write this sitting in a dorm room at Amherst College. I am one of three people here right now–the rest will arrive tomorrow–and I am exhausted. Do you know how far I’ve driven?
I stayed two days in Bowling Green, visiting friends, and as I drifted to sleep Thursday night in my friend Katie’s super-comfy bed, one phrase came to mind: “I feel bathed in love.” It’s cheesy, I know, but it crystallized how I felt while I was there. Everyone I saw was thrilled to see me. Everyone I talked to was proud of what I’ve been doing since I left. And everyone wished I could stay a little longer.
Last night I stayed in a hotel just outside of Rochester, NY. I visited a couple of church history sites before I turned in for the night. And today I drove through the Adirondacks and the Berkshires en route to Amherst. And then I attended the Massachusetts Springfield Stake’s conference.
Tomorrow is another session of the conference, then meeting over a dozen new people, a welcome barbecue, and finishing up reading for Monday’s class. I’m adjusting to no air conditioning in my room, and to not having my regular creature comforts (Nutella! Bread!) but in most difficult situations, I always come back to this:
I served a mission. Everything else in my life should be cake.
