send-off

Park pose, 1990, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

Just finished handwriting my first letter to John in Seattle (where he's studying SF writing this summer). But before I wrote to him, I read through many of the weekly letters that I sent him while he was in Japan on his LDS mission. He left for two years just shortly after we met. Those 20 year-old letters are so embarrassingly sappy to me now, and have moments of discomfort that make me cringe. How do you negotiate sensitive topics while halfway around the globe from each other, with a lag of weeks between correspondence (we weren't allowed to talk on the phone, nor could we have afforded it)? There was so much unsaid, so much reading between the lines...so much wondering who we would find when we reunited...

And even though we have many ways of keeping in touch now--it's still gonna be one long summer apart from my love :(

Picture above was taken the Sunday before John left for Japan, following his missionary "farewell" meeting at church. We were so silly & dramatic back then!