Homecomings

Isaac P. came home from his mission in Dominican Republic last night.

Sam A. came home from Zimbabwe today.

The best part of Homecomings, is remembering the thrill of seeing your own

missionaries come home. Chris and I have been reminiscing all week.

Leaving your last area, saying goodbyes, last meal at the mission president's and the overnight with everyone else heading home. That amazing feeling that you actually did it!

On my side, the countdown weeks, days and hours before.

The inevitable delays, but with no frustration because having to wait just a little bit longer for the best present in the world adds to the build of the excitement.

The hug. Seeing their smile. Basking -- literally basking -- in their presence.

That amazing feeling that they actually did it.

Also, I got an unexpected surprise before going to bed.

I hadn't remembered today was the day we got notice on which stories advanced to the third round of the NYCMidnight MicroFiction contest.

Mine did! 

(6,000 original entries, 400 went on to the second round. 200, mine included to the third!)

I can't publish it on any social media until 30-60 days.

But I'm pretty proud of this story. It's a good one.

(We only have 24 hours from the time we receive our assignment to the time we submit, so I wrote it in my free time on the day Nick moved to college. With the commitment that Nick absolutely came first. I had an hour or two in the day and a couple hours on the drive back and forth from Provo because Nick took his own car.) 

100 words

Genre: Historical Fiction

Action: Getting handcuffed

Word: thought

I wrote about my Grandpa as a boy in Germany during WWI.

His dad had been killed in the war. The circus was in town and all the school children were attending.

My great-grandma had a prompting to keep her boys home and that day the circus was bombed, killing many children. I found the actual articles about the incident online, both in English and German.

The research needed for historical fiction was another cool element for the genre,

but nerve-racking since I was on a short deadline!