Go burn that shirt, baby!

In my class this morning, we talked about discourse communities. I asked students to consider the various discourse communities they're a part of. I asked them to conduct a cultural inventory of one discourse community and to write a thick description of it, in order to dig deep, to move beyond superficial understanding.

Watching them go through this exercise, I naturally thought about the discourse communities I, myself, embrace. I'm part of the academic community of higher education, for example. I'm also a mother. And a writer/blogger. I'm in a book group. I'm a Sunday School teacher. I'm a grammar Nazi. I'm a Democrat. I'm a walker. I'm an anxiety sufferer. I'm a perfectionist. I'm an extrovert. I'm a poetry lover. I'm a Utah Jazz fan. I'm a restaurant enthusiast.

So many discourse communities.

I'm also the mom of a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And yes, that is a discourse community all its own. Seth is my third missionary, so there are numerous posts about that community throughout this blog; in fact, here's the one I wrote at Eli's one-year mark six years ago. As a missionary mom, I've come to understand the rhetorical culture of this unique community so near to my heart.

Today is Seth's one year point. He's halfway done! One year ago, our family arose early, piled into our minivan, and drove to the Salt Lake City International airport to say goodbye to our youngest child and sibling for two years. Well, here's the post on that if you want to see. I know for you, it may seem like this year passed quickly, but for me? I have felt every last one of the 365 days since he left. We're on the downhill now though. Oh yes we are.

And how's he doing? So, so great. Really, he's so happy in Paraguay. If you receive his weekly group email, you know that he is working crazy hard but that he is loving his mission. He says he barely remembers a time when he didn't speak and understand Spanish, and in many ways, he feels like he's always lived in South America. He sometimes thinks about how funny it is that we're all still here living our lives, and that we all speak English.

Today he will burn a white shirt. In the discourse community of full-time missionaries, elders often burn their clothing as they reach certain points in the mission. At six months, they typically burn a tie. At one year, a shirt. At 18 months, a pair of pants. And when they reach two years, they burn a suit jacket. When Eli burned a shirt at the one year point of his mission in Arkansas/Tennessee, he did it at a ward member's home, supervised by responsible adults, who were kind enough to videotape it so I could see. None of this will happen with Seth. He and his companion will do this burning all on their own. Pray for their safety.

Now that we've reached the halfway point, all future events will be our "last time" without Seth. Soon it will be the last Halloween, the last Thanksgiving, the last Christmas without him. Come January, I'll be able to say, "My missionary? He'll be home later this year." This is all very good.

As we ended one of our video chats recently, Seth asked Gerald and me, "Is there anything I can do for you?" My response: "Oh my sweet Seth, my favorite elder! You are already doing everything I could ever want you to do. And I am the proudest missionary mom in the whole world." I know other moms would disagree (as they should), but that's how my heart feels. Though I miss him with a longing I can't even describe, I wouldn't want him anywhere else.

So Elder Erichsen, carry on! Carry on loving the wonderful people of Paraguay. Carry on walking the streets, clapping doors, inviting everyone who will listen, and sharing God's love through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Oh, and also.....Go burn that shirt, baby!