What I Wish My Family Would Have Known

I adore my family, they are my closest friends. I was really excited to see them again when I was coming home. This is a post though a little about what I wish they would have known about what to do when I was now back in the picture.

So let me give you a quick run down of the cool Griffin Clan! #1 Papa G.... that's my nickname for him anyways cause he is a boss! He is a great dad and has always taken care of us. #2 Mama Sue, I am not kidding when I say she is my best friend. I tell my mom everything. She is so fun and adventurous and throws in a colorful comment here and there for some high quality entertainment #3 my oldest sister Nycole. She is married to an amazing guy John, and they now have two kids, which I am convinced are the cutest kids that have ever walked on the earth, the oldest is Freddy who will be 2 in March and Josi who was born December 5, ha don't make me do the mommy math. #4 is Kammi. She is hilarious, she is married to Adam who is also incredible and they are expecting a baby in July. Then there's happy #5 me :) #6 Burton, who is serving as a missionary in Hawaii. He gives my mom a run for the Best Friend title. He is the coolest kid ever and he better be enjoying those lovely winters! #7 the grand finale is Matt. Oh my gosh he is so funny!! He is a junior in high school and is lovin sports and the ladies. I've included some pictures so you can put a name with the faces.

Kammi, Adam, Burton, Dad, Mom, John, Nycole, Matt, and Me

So there you have it, that is the family dynamic I could give you all the crazy info, but I don't think the fam would like that too much :) haha I am the middle child I was not a fan of that place in the family all growing up but I am convincing myself I like it more and more the older I get cause I am not too far from either end of the siblings.

Okay okay, what in the world does this have to do with being an awkward return missionary? Well let me tell you! Coming home is not the funnest. I felt like I had to learn my family dynamic all over again because I had been gone for so long and naturally they morphed around it. Plus now I am a totally different person than I was before.

So on the mission we get to skype our families twice a year. My first time was great, my second time freaked the poop out of me. Just when I felt like most of those insecurities that I struggled with for so long were finally over, they came surfacing again and I was not liking it one bit. I remember emailing my mom about it afterwards and she said, "You know I was thinking about this and talking to your siblings because when you get home you have every right to be who you want to be and we will support that." See why she is my best friend! That helped sooooo much! Holy cow I was grateful.

When you come home it is definitely an adjustment you have to relearn you a little bit and it leaves you feeling lost. My mom and my sisters and I, play quite a bit of card games when we are all together and as we are playing cards one night we were talking about the adjustment and stuff and I started to cry... I know it's not an unusual occurrence but the alligator tears were, holy cow! I remember telling them that I felt like a brand new missionary again and I didn't know what to do or how to combine the two people that I felt like I was, if that makes sense. I especially struggled with not knowing exactly what my set purpose was anymore.

I think the biggest thing I wanted my family to know is that I was different than before. I was so much better than I was before. And I needed their support more than anyone else or else I very easily could have fallen back into that same person that I was. I wasn't a bad person but I really like who I am now. I had been changed by this experience. I also wish they would have been more supportive in my very awkwardness. Ha and instead of resisting the change that would come to them to embrace it, but hey that's one tough thing to do. I will probably have to write another post when my brother comes home about what I wish HE would have known :) Ya can't win can ya!

A guy named CJ wrote a really cool post about coming home from an extended trip. It is not necessarily about coming home from a mission but it has great advice you can apply to your situation.
  http://preparemymission.com/4-phases-everyone-goes-through-after-an-international-mission-trip/

There is also an adorable blog about a girl coming home and their decorations and everything were so cute, just in case your fam is expecting a missionary home soon. Check this out.

http://www.blogcrew.com/main-blog/2014/8/12/my-girl-is-finally-home#comments-53eaefe3e4b0f951215c6959