Remembering

What is your favorite part of a parade? The floats? The marching bands? Maybe it's the free candy! Yum! I don't know what my favorite part is, the whole thing is pretty thrilling to me. Especially now that I have kids. But, there is one part of the parade that always brings tears to my eyes. The veterans.

Usually this section of the parade is full of older veterans, proudly wearing their military garb and proudly walking with their flag. My right hand goes to my heart as I sniff back tears and whisper a thank you in my heart. We owe so much to these men and women! As they walk by, I have to wonder how many times these brave soldiers had to do something they didn't want to do for the sake of our freedom. How often do they now wake up in the night with images of the war. How many of them lost their best buddy or they themselves got injured?

These thoughts hit really close to home when my own brother, Chris, decided to join the army. All of a sudden, these veterans weren't just men and women who fought for their country. They were someones brother or sister, they were someones daddy or mommy, they were someones son or daughter. It was all so personal now.

It seemed like Chris's year-long deployment dragged on forever. Many prayers went up for Chris, many letters and boxes were sent over to him in hopes they would bring some comfort and encouragement. Many times we watched the news and wondered if Chris was close to the action, if he knew the fallen soldier, or worse yet, was one. And then he would call home and we'd rest in knowing he was alright.

God was so good to us during that year! How awesome it was to be able to 'chat' with Chris over facebook, knowing he was half a world away! How great it was for my parents, and Chris's wife to be able to hear his voice on the phone as often as once a week or more! I was so thankful for these modern technologies many times over the course of the year. 50 years ago people would send letters to their soldiers and HOPE they got them.

And God was good to us in keeping Chris safe. He had some ups and downs during his time over there, he even earned a purple heart! He has been home for well over a year now and is back in Colorado with his family, working construction with our dad. I haven't been able to see him yet, but when I do, I will thank him for his sacrifices, thank him for helping to protect our freedom, and yes, I will be wiping away tears. And then I will sit with him and ask ALL my questions and listen to ALL his stories. Yes, I am one proud big sister.

By the way, let's not forget the sacrifices of military families. Catie went through a very rough couple of years during Chris's boot camp, training, and deployment. Thank you too, Catie!

Oh, and I am equally as proud of my older brother, Chad...but that is another post.

Happy Memorial Day, we are remembering.