"Never Leave Me."

Welcome to a Millie Monday!  When Robert was on his LDS mission in West Virginia we would write each other letters every week.  Those two years were two of the hardest and loneliest years of my life.  It was so hard to have my best friend all the way across the country without being able to talk to him.  Luckily we were able to communicate through letters.  Every week I waited for his letter, dying to know what he was doing and to read his final, "I love you".  It felt like he was with me for just a little while.  Robert felt the same about my letters and it turned out that my letters usually reached him on Monday's.  His companions (LDS missionaries  serve in two's) soon realized that Elder Lewis had a consistent writer back home.  A lot of the other boy's weren't so lucky with their girl friends.  One of Robert's companions began calling it Millie Monday.  It has stuck and I now usually enjoy Monday's.  Once upon a time I thought it would be cute to continue writing Robert love letters every Monday, but that didn't happen.  Maybe someday I'll start that...we'll see.

Robert and one of his companion

Soon after Robert returned from his mission we were married in the Salt Lake Temple.  In that temple we made promises to be righteous so that we could be together forever.  We promised to never leave each other ever again.  The other day while Robert was gone I was thinking about those promises.  I thought it was a little ironic that Robert has promised to never leave me, and in extension Aurora, but yet he is hardly ever home.  What did those promises really mean if we never really get to be together?  I have to admit I was feeling a little neglected when I was thinking about all of this.

our wedding day - together forever

 Then it hit me, Robert never leaves us for a selfish reason.  He doesn't have guy friends that he hangs out with, he doesn't play video games and only occasionally does he go play a basketball game on a Saturday morning, and he always brings us along.  (I'm not saying that video games or friends are bad things.)   What I am saying is Robert, in fact, never leaves us.  His heart is always with us.  He goes to school and volunteers at the library and hospital so that he will have a better chance of getting in to medical school.  Medical school means he can provide for our family for the rest of our life by doing something he is passionate about.  And he works so that he can provide for us now.  Sure we might not see very much of Robert right now, but one day (several years from now) we won't have to worry about homework anymore and we can just have all our free time together.    But for now we can enjoy every minute we have together.  Aurora loves her daddy.  She squeals with joy every time she hears Robert's key unlocking the door, I have a hard time not doing the same.   We remember what our end goal is: we want to be together as a family forever.  I know that Robert will never leave me and that makes all the long hours that Robert is gone that much easier.  I'm so glad we know the way to be together forever.  And we will be together forever.

-Millie