The wanderings and musings of a returned missionary
Darrel L. Hammon
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| Grandpa and Grandma Hammon and two adorable grandchildren |
Coming home from a mission carries with it
both happiness and joy and a feeling of not being totally connected to reality
or at least the new reality you find yourself in. I have experienced both of
these feelings over the past month. Fortunately, some of our wanderings have
allowed my disconnectedness” to submerge itself for a time being.
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| Our daughter's street |
We landed at our daughter and son-in-law’s
place. They bought a new home and are refinishing the basement, including a
bedroom just for us. It is in a nice neighborhood with a view of Utah Lake and the
Wasatch Mountains in the back of their home.
The neighbors are extremely nice.
We hadn’t been here for more than a day when the neighbors brought soup, bread,
brownies, cookies, cake, and host of other delectable goodies that only Mormon
women can create. Plus, some just came by to visit and introduce themselves. We
stayed for a week and re-acquainted ourselves with our little granddaughter now
3.5 years-old and a new grandson born while we were in the Dominican Republic. Then
we headed to our other daughter's home who lives with her husband and young son in
Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is different. It was still cold. The
wind blows there, too. Fortunately, we were there for only two weeks and didn’t
experience any of the Wyoming winds. They say they do have strong winds but
nothing as strong as the Wyoming winds, the constant blowing and shuffling of
dirt, plastic bags, and snow. Wisconsin is beautiful with gentle rolling hills,
huge clumps of trees, and lots of water everywhere. Again, winter invariably steals
some of the greenery that Wisconsin is famous for. While I was there, I tried to
imagine the green leaves, the green corn fields, the green rolling grasses, and
the little lakes scattered everywhere, instead of the dull gray, leaf-less
trees, the frozen lakes, and the barren fields now covered in snow.
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| Los Hammon with grandson #2 |
The highlight of Wisconsin was being with our daughter
and her family. Our new little grandson who was born while we were serving in the
Caribbean was delightful. Granted, although he is almost five months old and
still very much a momma’s boy, he still allowed his grandparents to play with him
and bounce him.
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| Doting grandfather |
He loves being tossed in the air and look at himself in the
mirror. We also helped him with his tummy time although he isn’t a real fan of
going over five minutes. He even semi-crawled while we were there. The big
break through was feeding him real food, not just his “mommy’s nummy juice.” Well,
maybe some baby oatmeal mixed with applesauce can be real food for an almost
five-month-old, compared to his daily dosages of his mother’s milk. Of course,
he wanted to hold the spoon and then just lick it first to see if it met his
delicate taste buds. But like any other kid, he could plaster more food on his
face than in his mouth. I suspect, though, he’ll get the hang of it. Some day.
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| The López Family |
We also spent time in Boise with our good
friends. We drove to Weiser twice to see one of the young men who lived with my
family when he was just eight years old and had to go to therapy each day. We
were able to visit with his wife and four boys. What a great family they are. Plus,
we were able to find and chat with one of my high school friends from Garfield,
Idaho, who lives with her family in Weiser. Incredible! We had a great visit,
just like old times.
One of the things we discovered more poignantly
while serving a mission is the importance of relationships and friendships, old ones
and new ones. Amazingly, the rekindling of old relationships and friendships is
like riding a bicycle. It just comes back naturally. In fact, Wade, one of the
friends we visited while we were in Boise said, “It was just like old
times as though [we] had never been apart.”
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| Twin Falls Temple |
Part of our wandering transition has been attending the temple. We have been able to attend the Mt. Timpanogas, Boise, and Twin Falls temples. We hadn't been to the Twin Falls Temple before, we participated in the first dedication of the Boise Temple, and our daughter and her husband were sealed in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple. We love being in the temple. There is a sense of quiet peace, tranquility, and connectedness.
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| Joanne, mi Querida and my stability |
So, as we try to transition back to some
semblance of post-mission stability, we thank our family and friends for trying
to make it easier for us. We’re still not there, but we are striving toward it.
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| Snake River gorge by Twin Falls |
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