A Celebration

Last night I didn't know whether to cry or jump up and down with extreme joy. I spoke with my friend whose husband has been in Afghanistan and she told me he would be arriving in the US today!!!!! She does not get to see him until Monday, but just knowing he is safe and close by is such a relief.

I honestly think that being there for my friend and having the privilege of praying for all of them has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have often prayed for our military and the leaders of our country, but to hear up close and personal the day by day struggles, the sacrifices made, or to receive a call early in the morning asking for prayer for a family that just received word their loved one won't be coming home, shed a whole different light on what it means for these people to serve our country.

The two words that come to my mind are: extreme sacrifice.

I am so thankful for the men and women and their families who serve. While I have walked this road with my friend, my eyes have been opened to the fact that we have a group of people in harms way that we need to pray for and support, but we also have a group of people (families) serving right here who make it possible for these men and women to go off to a foreign land.

I am a bit surprised at how emotional I have been the last 12 hours. It has been an amazing journey. I understand that a unit from Georgia has replaced this unit that is arriving home. I have already started praying for them.

I pray that we all will be grateful and never forget or take for granted the sacrifices that have been made on our behalf.

Memorial Day

I have a great friend whose husband has been serving our country in Afghanistan for the last nine months. Prior to his leaving and throughout these nine months, I have had the privilege of praying for this family as well as gaining a greater understanding of what it is like to have a husband who is literally battling on the front lines. I can honestly say my eyes have been opened!

There have been times when I have heard the frustration in my friend's voice and I cried over not being able to do more for her (she lives far away). I know she has sleepless nights wondering what is going on thousands of miles away with her husband. Sometimes when I call she says, "I have to call you back, I'm picking up the kids from school and I don't want to be on the phone." She is clearly a great mom and is seeking to keep things as normal as possible for their children.

Today is a special day set aside to honor those who have served and are currently serving our country, but what I have realized over the last year is that I need to be incredibly grateful everyday because great sacrifices are being made both overseas and at home as families try to carry on.

I hope you will take time today and every day to think about and be thankful for all of the amazing freedoms we have as a result of people being will to essentially put their "normal" life on hold to serve you and me and many other people.

Serving Military Families

I have several friends who have a spouse in the military. It has made me think about how appreciative I am that they are willing to serve, but it makes me very sad that these families will celebrate Christmas without their mom, dad, wife or husband. As I was talking with one of my friends, I asked her what we could do to be supportive. I thought I would pass along a few of the suggestions she gave me.

• 
  Take the children for a few hours to give respite to the parent.
  
• Say thank you. These families make a significant sacrifice on behalf of our country. To acknowledge this to the families is huge.
  
• Include the sons of deployed dads in your father/son activities - they get tired of being stuck with just the girls. Same thing for daughters if the Mom is the military member.
  
• Organize meals just like you would for a new baby - set one night a week aside to deliver food to the family.
  
• Have your whole block show tie yellow ribbons around trees to help everyone remember their deployed neighbor.
  
• Check on the family regularly. The spouse left behind needs to know that another grown up is around even if they don't need anything.
  
• Invite the family along on outings with your family even if it's just for a quick ice cream.
  
  
• Think about chores dads do - help with the garbage cans each week or offer to change the oil in the car. Help with the window air conditioners or just getting the Christmas tree into the house.
  
• Write letters to the deployed soldier letting him/her know you are watching over their family.
  

This is a great time of year to make a commitment to year round service to military families.

What will you and your family do to make this Christmas and 2009 a better year for a military family you know?