Thank You, Veterans

Once our son enlisted in the Army and spent a tour overseas in Iraq, we realized the depth of thankfulness and pride we had for our son and his fellow servicemen and women.

Thank you. To each and every branch, to every single troop, to all locations of service, and to every type of work, again, I say, "Thank you!"

Thank you for your selfless service and sacrifice for our country. We appreciate you and what you have done.

Thank you for being willing to leave behind your own family - wives, husbands, parents, children, grandchildren, relatives, friends - and travel to far flung destinations. You missed much. Thank you for being willing to miss the day-to-day life events - for us.

Thank you for staring danger and discomfort straight in the face.

Thank you. From the bottom (and top and middle) of my heart, I say thank you.

And families of servicemen and women. Thank you for your sacrifice. The waiting and the missing is never easy.

For those who did not return the way we prayed, my heart is with you. For those who came home draped with a flag, my heart breaks for you and your family.

Thank you.

May we never forget.

Mailing My Son

I'm (we're) so proud of him and how he has matured and grown. He is delightful to be around, hysterical, opinionated, caring, loving, unique, focused (all on engines and vehicles, thank you). We very much enjoyed his 2-week R & R trip from overseas and the hot zone.

For the second time, we had to ship him back. After a too-early drive to Seattle, lack of shut eye, and a melancholy drive, we mailed our son. Airmail. Watching him walk down the tunnel to the plane was bittersweet. The wonderful time with him was at an end.

And we stood there, looking quite crestfallen.

But the next time, it will be a happy moment. And the last of these type of trips. Thank you, son, for preserving our freedom and protecting those in need.