ode to lissa and a road trip report

The day I moved into my freshman dorm, I met Lissa. And I didn't know it at the time, but she was about to change my life.

There isn't a specific incident or experience I could relate to you that would even begin to explain how she altered my world. Rather, it was a year and a half of example, testimony, and pure Lissa that made the difference. People who haven't met her can't begin to understand the incredible gentleness, kindness, and pure goodness that she embodies. I would try to explain it to you now, but I'm convinced that I couldn't do her any semblance of justice. 

Freshman year, Lissa and I spent a few quiet evenings together cooking dinner in dimmed lighting and silently doing homework side by side. It was rare that just the two of us were home, so I cherished those moments. Her presence is calming and comforting, and with her around, the most mundane tasks can become a cleansing experience. 

Then sophomore year, Lissa and I were roommates again, and that was when I truly realized what a blessing she was in my life. She has this way of making you think about yourself and about life. She asks hard questions that require deep introspection and insight and gives the most sincere, heartfelt compliments of any person I've ever met. And she is hysterical. Almost two years ago, I wrote about one of the most hilarious moments of my life. You may not think it was that funny, but I promise it was. I can think of very few times that I've laughed harder and longer than I did that night. 

A few weeks after I wrote that post, Lissa and I sat quietly in our bedroom in the late afternoon. The blinds were open, and the sun was warming Lissa's bed. She asked me to come over and in the sun with her, and she told me that she had decided to serve a mission as soon as possible. I remember being simultaneously overjoyed for her and sad that I'd be losing such an amazing roommate and friend. Eighteen months wasn't forever, but it was a long time to be without the person who left sweet notes on my bed and was impossibly patient with me and helped me find the good in situations I was convinced were terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad. 

But I decided to focus on the overyjoyed part, and I was even more excited when her mission call came and she found out she'd be off to the Philippines. 

And while she's been gone, she's continued to change my life. I'm a hoarder of cards and notes and such, and several times since she's left, I've come across several of the aforementioned notes that have perked me right up. Just last week I came across one that was particularly meaningful to me at the time, but more so now. It reminded me of the light and joy that I felt during a time that sometimes only looks bleak and painful when I look back on it. And even when I wasn't rereading her words to me, I would often remember a fun memory or a deeply insightful statement she'd once made, and I couldn't help but smile. 

And now I have even more reason to smile, because Lissa dear is home. 

So excited to see her !

Reunited and it feels so good! 

We (we being the the two guys we came up with [Paul and Marcel], Mellie, and me) had a lot of fun surprising Lissa. When we arrived in Meridian, she was at a family function, so we drove around aimlessly (exactly what you want to do after a six hour drive), had random dance parties in the street (which I didn't take part in), and visited the local grocery store. We were in contact with her siblings, though, so that we could arrive at the opportune moment. She had no idea we were coming, and the look on her face when she saw us standing in her doorway was absolutely priceless.

There are other things I could say, but this has already turned out much longer than I anticipated, and I like the idea of leaving things right there in Lissa's doorway, us giddy that our surprise was finally coming to fruition, and Lissa standing barefoot in the foyer holding a bowl of cereal.

So I will leave it just like that.