Wacky Wednesday

I picked up my friend at Salt Lake airport this Wednesday and it was certainly a uniquely Utah experience. My son and I stood at the bottom of the escalator surrounded by large families waiting for returned missionaries. There were the usual welcome home signs and hordes of people. The unusual part was just how many young men in black suits, conservative ties and Elder badges came down that escalator. Was there a returned missionary convention going on or something? We watched the same scene play out in front of us over and over again. Observing these homecomings made me hug my son too long and too tightly. “Mom…what are you doing???” he complained while trying to pull away from my embrace. I didn’t quite know – I just knew that I don’t even like it when he spends one night away for a sleepover. I told him this and got the typical teenage boy eyeroll. Later, I found out that missionaries usually come home on Wednesdays so there was no convention – it was just a regular Wednesday afternoon for the locals.
By the way, after at least 20 minutes of heartwarming reunions, I finally started to wonder what happened to my friends. I realized then that I was in the wrong terminal. I had gotten so caught up in the joyful homecomings that I didn’t realize I was in the wrong place. You thought I meant the returned missionaries were wacky didn’t you? Nope…. It’s me who wears that label!!!