Life and Death

   Something that only a Military family can understand, is that a Soldier (I say Soldier, but of course, I mean Marine, Airman, and Seaman too) gives their life for the country.  People mistakenly associate life with death.  When you hear someone say, "He gave his life for this country," you automatically conjure images of a flag draped casket.  You don't think of the day to day, mundane and wonderful aspects of life that a Soldier misses because of what he does.

   

    While your Soldier is off doing this:

   

He misses this:

   In short, he misses life.  He misses out on what makes life sweet for everyone.  Life is the ups and downs of family.  The spills, the poopy diapers, the late nights.  It's the moments you roll around on the floor with your kids, dance with them, kiss away their tears and get to look them in the eye and say, "I love you!"

   

   While dying for your country is the ultimate sacrifice, living for your Country is often overlooked.  Veterans are taken for granted because it's easy to think, "You didn't die, so what did you sacrifice?"  Those in the Military know that the answer is always: 'Everything!'  

   Those men and women in uniform sacrifice everything for their values, for duty, and for love of country.  The above pictures are moments taken in our life as John has been away these last 6 months.  John falls asleep without the precious goodnight kiss of a toddler.  John does combatives at PT and not in the living room on the floor with his boys.  John sat on duty during Thanksgiving, not at a table heavy-laden with food prepared with love surrounded by those he holds most dear.  

   Honor the men and women who have died for their Country; that have died for you.  "Greater love hath no man, than to lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)  Pray for their families and seek ways to help lift their burdens.  Thank God that someone cared enough about your freedoms to die for them.

   But, never forget that there are those who continue to sacrifice their time, their families, their very lives.  They freely give you moments they'll never get back, all for your freedoms; for your right to vote.  They do this so that you can enjoy your own family.  So that you can kiss your children.  And read to them. And dance. And sing. And play. And be silly.  They sacrifice their lives so you don't have to sacrifice yours!

   As a military spouse, how can you help your Soldier enjoy as much of life as possible?  I recently began a nightly journal to give John at the end of the year (for Christmas).  Any time he's away from the family for any training or deployment, I'll write a daily account of funny things the boys said and did.  I'm writing about the grievances, the trials, how much I love him, how much his life means to mine.  I'm illustrating the entries with snapshots taken of the boys doing their random things throughout the week.  All of this, so that when next he's in the field, he can feel connected to life at home.  

   I was told several years ago (while my brother-in-law was in Iraq) that he should be ashamed of himself for what he was doing.  That the Military is full of hate-driven, violent-loving, warmongering, red necks who love guns and big booms, is a popular belief held by many who don't fully understand that a Military is not about war, but about peace.  These men and women do what they do, not because they're driven by hate, but by love; not by what lies in front of them, but by what, and who, they're standing in front of.  

   May God bless you Military men and women as well as your families.