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Lisa Gives Her Son Jack an Emotional Send-Off: "My Whole Heart Is Breaking"
RHOSLC's Lisa Barlow penned a heartfelt message for her son as he embarked on a two-year Mormon mission.
It was a bittersweet moment for Lisa Barlow.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City mom took to Instagram on Friday (September 8) to share her final moments with her son Jack as he prepared to embark on a years-long Mormon mission. The video, which was shot earlier this year, showed the recent high school grad dressed in a suit at a Utah airport with his backpack and luggage in tow. Lisa captured the teen waving farewell to his family and hugging his little brother, Henry, just moments before he boarded his flight.
“Took an unintentional red -eye to get home to say my ‘see you in 2 years’ to [Jack Barlow],” she wrote in a previously recorded Instagram Story. “Landed in SLC after a stint in LA. Living on adrenaline.”
Lisa reflected on the emotional goodbye in a September 7 Instagram Story that featured Jack’s prom photo.
Lisa Barlow shares a heartfelt message for her son Jack
“You are about to do some really amazing things,” she wrote. “My whole heart is breaking with happiness and love and this insane feeling that I’m not going to be able to breathe until you are home. I miss you every second of every day and I know God will overwhelm you with love and protect you. Being your mom has made me a better person. My love for you is more than my heart can take. God made you so good.”
Lisa Barlow opens up about Jack's next chapter
Jack’s mission trip was addressed in the RHOSLC Season 4 premiere, which aired September 4. The episode found Lisa and her husband, John Barlow, discussing their oldest son’s next chapter and his decision to forgo college. Lisa recalled pressing Jack about his college application essays before he broke down and revealed his post-graduation plans.
“He sits down next to me and just starts bawling,” Lisa said in an interview. “And I’m like, ‘What’s going on, Jack?!’ He’s like, ‘Mom, it’s gonna be OK because I decided to go on a mission.’”
She continued: “A mission is devoting two years of your life to serving others and teaching people about Jesus Christ. So Jack’s giving up two years of his life to basically help everyone but himself.”
Lisa said the “hardest part” wasn’t the imminent goodbye; it was the realization that her son had spent nearly a year preparing for the mission without telling the family.
“When he told us, you know, I was crying because I haven’t been involved in the process,” she said to John. “I think I’m still dealing with the emotion that I had no idea and he’s been prepping for a year, and then it makes me think that, you know, maybe he does need more time with me, or maybe he just wants less.”
