What do a Science Teacher, a Super Hero, and The Most Beautiful Woman Alive Have in Common?

They're all my mom!

Okay so that's pretty cheesy, but my mom is literally the best.

I have a few experiences to share:

Mom puts up with my selfies 

So first of all when I was on the way to the airport to fly home from my mission my mission president handed me a cell phone and told me to call my mom. The second I stammered out a "Mom?" my mom's first words were "Shannon?! What can I do to help make your transition home the best that it can be?" She just wanted me to be okay. She didn't complain about the short notice that she would have to drive an hour to the airport to pick me up, then an hour back. My mom had found out that I was coming home at about ten o'clock that morning and she had unpacked all the totes that she had packed the week before, putting everything away in drawers and making my bed so that I didn't come home to an empty room.

My mother hasn't thought of herself in twenty years. For Mother's Day and her birthday we always try to get her something that she has to use for herself. If we get her a gift card to a clothing she will always end up buying something for us. Same goes for food or literally anything else we can buy her. She is the most selfless person on the planet. She read to us every night from the time my oldest sister was born to the time my littlest sister was about ten. She still reads to her on occasion. Does it take a lot of time and energy to get four kids to sit and listen to a chapter of a book every night? You betcha. Did she do it every single day? Absolutely.

When we were little my brother expressed that he thought busses were cool. He had never been on a bus, but they had that weird slinky thing in the middle which he thought looked super awesome. In an extraordinary act of patience and love my mother packed us all snack bags and took all four of her children (between ages one and seven) on a bus ride. We sat in the middle where the slinky part was. We marveled every time the bus turned a corner and one side of the bus turned before the other. We ate our snack bags. Would it have been easier to stay at home and have us all entertained by some television program? absolutely! Would that be an experience that I still remember sixteen years later? No. She found an activity that interested her kids, was a way to explore the world around them, and was most likely not an activity covered in parenting books. My mom is a creative genius.

We go hiking a lot 

Skip forward thirteen years to when my mom found out that two of her daughters suffered from anxiety. My mom, having never suffered from a mood disorder, didn't really understand them. She didn't assume we would just "snap out of it." She read about other peoples' experiences and tried to understand what it was like for us. She made sure that we got help, that we talked to medical professionals, and she encouraged in actions that helped us to cope with our anxiety.  My mother was (and is) patient, kind, and understanding even though she couldn't fully understand what we were going through.

I could go on forever. I truly believe that my mother doesn't have a single selfish bone in her body. I truly appreciate everything she has done for me and everything she has taught me. My mother is everything I hope to be as an adult. She makes everything possible no matter how difficult. She is an inspiration to everyone she meets.

Mom, I love you.

Returning With Honor: I'm Home!

 So much heat. So much water. 

A lot has happened in the last week and I want to be open and clear with all of you. I am returning home early from my mission. In fact, I have only been out about two and a half months of my expected eighteen month mission. First of all I want to assure you that I have done nothing wrong and that this decision was not an easy one to make or to accept. There were many conversations between my mission president, his wife, my bishop, my doctors, my stake president, and me. This whole process was also overseen by God, my Heavenly Father. I love all these people dearly and their counsel has been invaluable in these past few weeks as this decision has been made.

Because I also love you all dearly I would like to explain some of these conversations and things that have happened in the past few weeks. I hope you will understand my perspective and support me in this transitory time.

As most of you know, I have anxiety. I have been working with this condition for several years and I was cleared by my doctor to go on a mission. Though I have had my anxiety under control for quite a while, the new environment and stresses of my mission have brought to light many unresolved aspects of my anxiety. A few days ago I met with a counselor who helped me to identify and clarify some of these issues.  He, as well as a few other medical professionals, helped me to come to the conclusion that at this time the safest and healthiest place for me to be is home with my family where I can focus on developing plans and getting the medical attention that I need. I will soon be released from my calling as a full time missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but this does not mean that I will stop serving Him or the people around me. I am still the same person with the same desires, I just need to spend some time learning to stand firmly on my own two feet before I am able to most successfully help others to do the same. It was made very clear to me that I may have the opportunity to serve a full time mission in the future, but for now that is not my calling. 

President Youngblood, his wife, and my comp 💕

I have spent a lot of time in prayer to my Heavenly Father and I have received assurance that my missionary service was needed in Las Vegas the past few months, even if it was only for a short time. I have also received an assurance that at this time I need to be back in Washington with my family.

I want you to know that the time I have spent in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission has been very precious to me. The people I have met have made such an impact on my life and I hope to have made an impact on theirs. I can assure you that over the last few months I have served God and my Savior with all of my "heart, might, mind, and strength." As I return home, I want you all to be assured that I will continue to serve my God, just in an environment where I am also able to learn to be a productive and healthy person.

I love you all so much and I ask again for your support. If you have any questions, comments, want to know about some of my experiences as a missionary, or anything else please feel free to contact me.

Also, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you!

Love always,

Shannon :)