Your papers, please.

"Your papers, please." This statement, usually made in the form of a terse demand, rather than a request, pleasant or otherwise, has struck fear in the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life all over the world. Having been born and lived in a nation where we are not required to carry our 'papers' with us at all times, it's hard to get my mind around having to live like that. But then again, it turns out that my good country's big brother, the NSA, has probably been bored to tears surreptiously listening into my cell phone calls for the last how many knows years without my knowing it. Good times.

Papers, though, are taking on a new meaning here as The Boy has been readying his papers for submission in order to receive his Church mission call, or assignment. The process has a few phases and ironically, almost no real paper. When I was in his shoes just about 30 years ago, there were a ton o'forms and paperwork to be completed. Today though, save for the actual assignment itself, which is mailed, it's all done online (gracias, Interwebs!) and last night, he finished phase one. The Boy pushed 'submit' and triggered the next phase, which are some interviews with his local ecclesiastical leaders. After those are complete, the big 'submit' button gets pushed again and his virtual paperwork gives to Church headquarters behind the Zion Curtain and then his call is issued. So last night's first submission was kind of a big deal, for him and for us. The stunningly patient and mighty fine SML asked me if it made me anxious that we were to this point, and I answered that it didn't. I mean it's getting real, to be sure.

It got a whole lot more real today as I took The Boy to our little one room Post Office to complete and submit his passport application. Inasmuch as he does not know where he'll be called to serve, we want him to be set to go, no matter where, so he needs to gave his passport locked and loaded. As we took care of that, the reality that he'll be gone sooner than I think struck me. It didn't make me sad, but it drove home how real this is getting.

For those of you who have loyally kept a seat on the sofa here in the Den and are not familiar with the whole mission thing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I hope you'll indulge me in the coming weeks and months. As The Boy moves down the missionary path, I'll be sharing bits and bobs of it here. I hope you'll find it interesting. It's an exciting time for our family. Heaven knows I've spared precious little here in the Den so I'm not about to go all silent on this. I'd be a bad blogger if I didn't share this, right?