My Sisters, My Friends

I can say that 3 months ago, moving to Maryland scared me quite a bit. I was so attached to Utah, especially after living there for 8 years. That's where I went to college, where I developed my career, explored new talents and adventures, where I became close with members of my church and where I made new friendships and reunited with old friendships that gave a greater meaning to my life. I was in my comfort zone. I was afraid of moving and starting from scratch, of feeling lonely, friend-less, and afraid of just breaking down. I think this is what scares most women who become new homemakers and move away to a place where her husband is employed, and where she is far away from her family, friends, and loved ones. Especially if that place is cold. because that would mean hibernating. No fun :(

Well,  I can now say that that fear is gone. 

And I am very grateful to the women that God has placed in my path and has given me the chance to get to know better. They have made this move and this new chapter in my life a lot smoother and happier.

I titled this post "My Sisters, My Friends" for a purpose. Because these women, are in a way, my sisters. So here they are. 

 THE "SISTER" MISSIONARIES

 

Sister Clark and Sister Gordon are two wonderful missionaries who served in our ward and who kept me busy! I loved feeding them, driving them, going out with them and visiting people, etc. It reminded me of one of the happiest times of my life, when I was a missionary too. It was refreshing. It was a spiritual re-awakening. It made me feel what I once felt for an entire 18 months. They reminded me of Whom I needed to turn to for that extra strength and comfort I needed. I really do feel that spending time with them helped me to strengthen and add more to my relationship with my Heavenly Father and also with my husband and those around me. I remember when I was a missionary, people would tell us that we had something special and that they liked having us over because we would bring something "special" to their home. Sometimes I would just think that they were just trying to be nice, especially since we were away from our families and we had to face daily rejection and often insults from others. It was so easy to think, "I'm not really that special, but that's nice of them to say." But now, I completely understand what they meant by "special". It's the mantle that missionaries have. Having the constant company of the Spirit and being able to greatly inspire, comfort, serve, and just being so close to the Spirit that they just say the right thing. Oh how I miss that. I know I have the Spirit with me, but as a missionary, it was something else. It was another dimension. So tangible. Felt like I was led by the hand everywhere I went. Being with the sisters brought a lot of that back. Thank you so much Sisters. I am excited to one day tell my son that he had his first missionary experiences when he was 9 months old :)

MY "SISTER"-IN-LAW

  

Before moving to Maryland, I could easily say I knew Angie as mostly just "Alex's sister" than my own sister-in-law. Having the opportunity to live together now has definitely changed that. I am happy to say that it has been a blessing and a lot of fun. I love watching Angie play with Alejandrito. He loves his auntie so much. He gets so excited whenever he sees her and then cries a little when she leaves the room. He loves to kiss her and play with her face and share his bottle and his food with her. He loves it when she plays with him and whispers in his ears. And it makes me so happy to see him so happy! As a kid I was very loved and spoiled by my aunts and i loved it! That has allowed me to create a special bond with them and I am excited for my son to do the same. I know that as he continues to form this relationship with his aunt, he will develop stronger feelings of love, trust, and respect. And I look forward to that. 

Not only does it make me happy to see my son with Angie like that, but I am happy that I have found a friend in Angie too. From talking about The Secret Life of blabla, to singing annoying songs like "friday", to making fun of Alex, to seeing her go through a career/job search, to singing Mickey Mouse and Elmo's song, to watching Eva Luna and then telling me I look like Maya from India (whom she doesn't think is pretty. haha inside joke), to discussing interesting topics, to making fun of each other and other what nots, I feel very blessed to share this time in my life with her. Angie has made this new transition in my life a lot easier and fun. I don't really feel alone anymore and I love being able to talk to her about random things or just laugh at whatever. She is so full of love and kindness and I see it daily, especially in the way she is towards my son. What mother doesn't like to see that?? :) Thank you Angie. For being my friend, for being there for your brother, and for loving Alejandrino so much.

And here are a few pics of  my son and I, with of course, my new sisters :)

 

Alejandro was in love with Sister Clark. I think they are holding hands here: