The Empty Chair

We may not be typical of families today, because most evenings we actually sit down to dinner at the dining table. Of course, there are evenings when we're busy and we can't, and nights when dinner is later than it should be, but most of the time, we are there. Tonight, when we sat together, I was once again reminded that something is missing. Or, more to the point, someONE. We have an empty chair at our table.

And the odd thing is, that even though this chair has been empty for 9+ months, we're still not used to it. For years we've had assigned seats at the table, which would change from time to time, for variety. But when Brandon left for his mission in Jamaica, we never reassigned seats, and though I thought Emma would "fill in the blank," instead she sits between Todd and I and we still have an empty chair. Maybe it's the momma that feels it most keenly.

We are so proud of Brandon, his willingness to serve, and his successes that he's had so far on his mission. He is in our prayers each day, and we look forward each week to his Monday email updates, and love each and every photo that may come with the emails. He is now serving in his third area, which is Savanna la Mar, on the southwest coast of the island. He has had a few baptisms, including two that he performed in the ocean. Too cool!

You can catch updates on Brandon on my other blog: Elder Huffaker's Jamaica Impossible, which has his weekly emails and some of the photos he sends home. He would love to hear from you as well, and it means a lot to get messages from the states. The easiest way is to go to http://www.dearelder.com/, and follow the instructions on the site for writing a letter. He is in the Jamaica Kingston Mission.

And we also look forward to the time, many months from now, when our empty chair will be filled again. (And I'm so glad that Cameron won't leave on his mission until after Brandon returns, because if I were to have them both gone at the same time, I would probably lose it! LOL)