It Happened

Sometimes things don’t happen in the exact situation or place you had envisioned…but just the fact that the thing I anticipated actually happened in any way is good enough.  J  Today has been an indescribable day.

Today I sang at the LDS seminary of my old high school, Sky View, all day, which was brilliant.  I went home, got a bunch of homework done, prepared for some filmmaking, wrote a poem, went to the mall, goofed off at a gas station with Marissa, and bought a bunch of strangely flavored chips.

Then Marissa, Marti, and I went to an indoor lacrosse game to support our good friend Blake!  It was very interesting.  I’d never watched lacrosse played in the middle of winter on an indoor rubber turf.  We had fun watching…and we were Blake’s (#10) number one fans!  We yelled and cheered…and even started a cheer throughout the rather unengaged crowd for a minute or so.  And I caught Marti checking out one of the referees.

Then, my phone started ringing.  I checked the screen…just a number, no name.  Usually I don’t answer the phone if I don’t know who it is; I let them record a message first.  But this time, I answered.  I couldn’t hear what they were saying…but I picked out that they asked if I had a minute to talk.  I yelled “YEAH, ONE SECOND!” and jogged out of the arena to the cold winter air.  Once I was out on a lonely unused icy road, I asked who this was I was talking to.  He informed me that his name was Elder Camp.  My heart stopped.

“Is this Todd?”

“….Yes.”

“Brother Partridge, you have been selected and called to serve as a young performing missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Nauvoo, Illinois performing mission for 2013.  Do you accept this calling?”

“…………”

“Hello?  Are you still there?”

“….oh.  YES!  Yes, I am here!”

“Do you accept this calling?”

“Yes!  Yes I do!!”

…..I fell over as he proceeded to tell me some of the details related to my mission call.  I silently began to weep as I knelt on the wet asphalt in the quiet of the night outside an empty sports garage.  After the phone call, I just cried on the ground, so shocked that this incredible blessing I had secretly begged for in my heart had actually happened.  I said a prayer of thanksgiving, laid in wonder for a couple minutes, and then headed back inside.

I just sat back down in between Marti and Marissa, beaming, and very wet.  When they saw my wet red face, Marti thought I had fallen, and Marissa thought she had spit on me…when I told them I’d been crying, well…… We rejoiced together in the turf of an indoor lacrosse game.

I will leave for Nauvoo…AS WELL MY SISTER…on May 3 (the Friday of finals week).  I still don’t believe it.  This is going to be incredible.  I don’t think there is anything better I could have asked for.

Life is beautiful.