What I've Learned from a Broken Heart

Last Valentine's Day, I was on a plane leaving Texas, balling my baby eyes out as I left my best friend, Landon Badoni.

This Valentine's Day, I'll be doing something I'm sure (ain't nobody plans that far ahead), missing that same best friend who is currently serving a mission.

Life though.

Some basic facts about Landon:

1. He's from Texas, and he's a VERY proud Texan. I mean, he carved the state of Texas into his pumpkin on Halloween one year. Seriously, don't ask him about it. 

2. He's half-Navajo, so he has perfectly tanned skin, and can only grow a maximum of 3 facial hairs. He's really proud of those three hairs.

3. He is very passionate about the military, service, and the Boy Scouts of America (not the church boy scouts). He does leadership training courses at the Philmont Scout Ranch, which is this huge place and it's a big deal and that's all I really know about it. 

4. He loves REI. Well...he used to. I don't know if he loves it as much now that he's worked there. He told me one time that working at REI was on his bucket list. Get a new bucket list.

5. He loves little kids, his family, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

6. He is 3 years and 6 months younger than me. It was weird for a minute. And then it wasn't.

7. Sleep comes at him like a ninja. He can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. In the middle of a conversation, sitting up in a chair, at a party--it's nuts. Slightly annoying. But mostly funny.

I met Landon at work, and he asked me on a date 2.5 months later. (We went to an art museum. This kid does his homework!) Two months after that, we were officially dating, which, for me, is essentially a miracle. I don't date, never had a boyfriend, terrified of relationships, how the hecks does anyone even get married, self-reliant feminist all the way, yadda yadda.

Somehow, Landon weaseled his way past my barriers and defenses, my anxieties and fears, and got me to trust him implicitly. I found that I was more myself around him than I had ever been, and that he truly loved me---the good, the bad, the ugly, the stinky--all of me. He became my best friend. 

With my anxiety, I have this constant urge to get home, even when I'm visiting my sisters or good friends. It makes me antsy, being away from home. But that never happened with Landon. For me, that was a miracle. And a sign of sorts, I suppose. 

I fought Heavenly Father a lot, at the beginning. After all, Landon was younger than me, and although he never said anything about it, I was pretty sure that he hadn't gone on a mission, and that he probably would want to at some point. That's a major deal breaker.

A brief note: I saw my sisters and friends go through the whole sending out a missionary thing, and I wanted absolutely NO part of it. I promised myself that I was not going to be THAT girl. I thought that at the age of 23, I didn't have to worry about it anymore. Set.

Landon and I dated for almost a year and a half before he left on his mission. I learned a lot during that time, and had some of the best experiences I've ever had. But I have learned so much more with him being gone. 

Hear me out.

When Landon left, I basically fell apart. My family can attest to that, no doubt. I thought I had experienced heartache before, but it was nothing compared to what I was feeling. I remember countless nights of crying so hard my chest hurt, snot and tears and drool coming out of my face (so real). I felt like part of me was missing, and in essence, it was. I felt lonely, homesick, sad, heartbroken, depressed, etc. But mostly, I was confused and somewhat angry. 

After all that has happened in my life, after all the crazy things, when I FINALLY meet someone who loves me completely, and who I want to spend the rest of my life with, HE GOES ON A FREAKING MISSION. (Don't hate, I think missions are great. But....come on.)

It has been a rough 5 months since he left. I miss him like crazy, and I still have nights full of tears. But I think I'm finally beginning to understand why I need this.

First of all, I'm incredibly selfish. Ain't no lie. Landon wanted to go on a mission so badly, and for a while there he thought he wouldn't be able to go. I knew how much it meant to him, and how hard he worked to get out in the field. But I still wanted him to stay. I did my best to support him, but inwardly I was hoping and hoping that he wouldn't be able to go. The worst, I know.

It didn't take long for me to realize that Landon LOVES being a missionary. He absolutely loves it. In all his pictures he looks so incredibly happy, and he always writes about how amazing it is to be serving the Lord. He is happy--and I wanted to take that away from him. Once I figured that out, I realized what a selfish butt I've been. Which brings me to the second thing I've learned: selfless love.

I'm reading Jesus the Christ for the first time, and my mind has been blown into a million pieces. IT'S JUST SO GOOD! I recently read about our Lord's suffering in Gethsemane, His completely unfair and illegal trial, and His final moments on the cross. Talk about selfless love. His was the ultimate pain and suffering. He experienced every awful, unimaginable thing so that mankind could find happiness in this life, and the life to come. Selfless, unconditional love. That is what I was missing.

Was I capable of wanting the happiness of someone else, even if it meant heartache for me? Could I truly say that I was happy for Landon, or would I be pouty and poopy about him being gone?

The next learning experience came from an inspired counselor. I told her about how hard and painful it was without Landon, and how I wanted the pain to go away. She told me that asking Heavenly Father to take away the pain I was feeling was asking Him to take away my depth of love for Landon. BLAM. It seems like such a simple concept, but it was something I had never thought of. She also told me that wisdom is healed pain. I LOVE that, so I'mma type it again: Wisdom is healed pain.

One night, I decided that it was time for a heart to heart with my Father in Heaven. He was going to hear me out, dangit, and He was going to tell me why I had to go through this. It went down just like that.....more or less.

I prayed for a while, and then I decided to sit and listen. I grabbed a notebook and began to write down any thoughts or impressions I had. Suddenly KAZOO. A flood of thoughts filled my brain, and I was scrambling to get everything written down. I've never had an experience like that--mostly because I don't take the time to listen. It was amazing. I still don't know the exact reason behind why I have to endure 2 years without my honey. But I do know that there is a reason, and that it's going to be okay. Had it not been for Landon leaving and the subsequent sorrow and frustration, I probably wouldn't have taken the time to have a real conversation with my Father. I wouldn't have learned that I really can receive specific, personal revelation.

Heavenly Father does it again, that sly fox. He has showed me that His plan is, once again, the best plan. It's definitely not the easiest one, but it is the best one.

I'm one thousand percent certain that I still have a lot left to learn. But at least I'm finally learning, instead of pouting like a baby girl and throwing a fit, refusing to listen to anyone that tries to help.  Hopefully I can continue to humble myself and become a better person. It's a work in progress.

SO EXCITED! He's always so excited.

That's my SoCal beach bum missionary on the left.