a tribute

Often times when I see a photo of my brother as a child, I am still stunned that he is a father to four children. It wasn't until he moved to Okinawa Japan with the US Air Force that I realized he's a grown man.

In September of 2011 he was deployed to Afghanistan. I am so proud of him. I actually had peace about his deployment. I was realistic in knowing what could happen, but I was at peace! He and his unit were covered in prayer. Friends from past and present mailed him letters. I organized an event or two to collect supplies for his unit. Kids from a nearby school hand made Christmas cards to shower them with love. But no matter what we did, how many letters we wrote, how many gifts we sent, or how many prayers were said; I never felt like we did enough to show our gratitude.

I was reunited with my brother on Monday, April 4, 2012. I was only blessed with one day, but every minute counts. He shared some stories from the war zone and I'm even more grateful and disheartened about what my baby brother experienced while at war. He's too young to fight in a war. I'm so glad it's over!

This isn't much more, but I want to thank you all for putting your lives on the line, leaving your families, and facing so many unknowns to defend and protect our country. God Bless You all!!