Our daughter is serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. She’s serving on the east coast in the exact same mission her brother did several years ago. She is faithful and kind, smart and beautiful, a willing servant and a special spirit. The decision to go wasn’t a hard one for her. The reality of leaving her family was hard. She’s very close to her family and she had no desire to leave us so far behind, however she knew that she was supposed to serve this mission and so “girded her loins” practiced courage and faith and away she went.

She worked very hard before she left to put everything in order and to leave behind the things of this world so that she could focus on the Lords work. Now I know a lot of people would have a very hard time leaving things behind but their list is probably not the same as Alison’s list. She would miss the final 4 shows of “Smash” on TV, she loved that show. She would miss the poor old dog that probably wont live til she comes home. She would miss her nieces especially the two that she had helped raise, the youngest just starting to walk. But very high on her list was her violin, oh how she would miss that violin.

She wants to major in music education. She’s a member of a small local orchestra, she takes lessons, she plays in church seemingly every week, she collects violin piano duets especially those from Steven Sharp Nelson, she loves to play that thing. She has such a peaceful spirit about her anyway but when she plays she becomes one with the music. She doesn’t do a little dance and let ‘er rip like some players, but you can feel her love for the music and the way music plays to the soul when Alison plays her violin.

I may be a tad prejudice since I am her mother, but she’s wonderful. Is she the most talented or gifted player? No, but she loves the music and and she works hard and when she plays all her work and her love and her practice show, we love to hear her play.

So off she goes to her mission and she leaves her violin locked away at home. But soon after arriving her mission president tells her that she should send for her violin, he believes music, good music, speaks to the soul and can be a teaching instrument. She was very excited!

Now her violin doesn’t cost much in the sense that it’s a nice cadillac not a mercedes benz, but I don’t want to have to worry about coming up with that money again. I’m really hoping this violin which is a serious upgrade from her last one will last her quite some time. So shipping this thing across country was a scary thought! I talked to two of her music teachers about everything from loosening the strings and worrying about the sound board to how to insure it and for how much! I talked to the post office about shipping options and packing options and all the what-ifs i could think of. I thought about sending it ups because i though it would be safer but all her mail goes to the mission home and has to be forwarded to her so it has to go usps priority mail.

I fretted and stewed  over a week and then bubble wrapped the heck out of that thing, insured it for all it was worth and sent it off with a prayer. when we got this picture I knew it was totally worth it!

She practices on her P-day while waiting for her laundry to finish. It soothes her soul and at some point I fully expect her to use it for wonderful things as she teaches and reaches out to the ones she was sent to find.

So we shipped! Now how to get it home at the end of her mission…………