I love it when the planes land at the airport and you see soldiers coming home. The applause that sometimes breaks out at just the sight of our brave men and women setting foot once more on American soil.
The cries of joy when a familiar face is spotted. The little kids dancing from foot to foot watching as Mom or Dad gets closer and closer until they're let loose to fly into the waiting arms of the Parent who has ached to hold their little hearts close to their own. Dads meeting their newborns and all the feelings that race across their faces in those first few moments of "Hi you, I'm your Dad". These stalwart men who face all that is bad in the world, worn hands gently holding their babies for the first time. Breathing in the innocence they helped create. Silent tears sliding down chiseled cheeks.
The hugs that go on forever and ever ... and nowhere near long enough, between Husbands and Wives and Boyfriends and Girlfriends ... and Best Friends. Not wanting to let go because your heart has been without its other half for far too long. All the 'Missing You' letters and emails and phonecalls culminating into this moment where you can't make yourself let go. It just feels too good to hold on and be held; faces being showered with kisses.
The tears that flow unabashedly from strangers witnessing this homecoming. Being grateful for just peripherally being able to feel this moment with them, the pure joy emanating from these families becoming whole once more.
While you may not be at the forefront of my mind every day, I carry you in my heart continually. Each time a plane lands here carrying more soldiers, a sigh of relief escapes me that another soldier has come home to their family. Another Mom and Dad know their Son or their Daughter is laying their head on their own pillow, sleeping in their own bed tonight. Another Husband, another Wife can reach over tonight and hold the hand of the one they hold dearest. Tomorrow morning another little kid can race into their parents bedroom to jump on the bed and pounce on Mom and Dad to start the day.
Thank you to all of our Soldiers. While I appreciate your decision to leave to defend us, I so love seeing you come home.
And we welcome them back with arms just as open-strangers or not.
ReplyDeleteok, this one moved me to tears. I feel the same way about our Canadian soldiers and Saturday nights during the first period intermission of the hockey game, Don Cherry always puts up a picture of our latest fallen. he gets so choked up that it tends to get me going too.
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