Survivors
April 2004As we are watching yet another month draw to a close, we also celebrate 166 Military Police who came home from Iraq this week. What a glad homecoming. There's children so young, they don't realize what is going on. There's mother's who had feared the worst has to be about a thousand pound lighter when they saw their loved one march into view. I myself couldn't watch the parade or listen to the news as there's always so much delay, hopes being build up and oh what a let down with the road blocks. I well recall one day which seems like only yesterday that three bus loads of soldiers came home from the war. I went to the mail box that day and there was my loved ones autopsy report. How do we ever cope when we think we can't go on and there's few choices left to us? I've learned from those few choices, we choose to go on or stop growing; to become bitter or better. My how hard it is to make those stumbling blocks into stepping stones. But once we get a few years through, we remember the precious moments and let the pain go. We begin to dream again and include those memories and lost dreams in our plans. Maybe, just maybe, those dreams aren't lost after all. For now, we are a much stronger person, we value our freedom more than a mere mortal can possibly understand, and we refuse to let go of our goals because that's what "he" would have wanted us to do. I did buy a newspaper the next day because I wanted to see the pictures and read of the reunions that took place. I was glad to see a list of our sons and daughters, husbands and wives that came home. I certainly know of the ones we have lost from my state and there's been a lot of then this past month. I shed a tear without shame. My heart skipped a beat because of the pride these soldiers has in a job well done. We don't pretend to understand the political jargon we hear everyday now since this is an election year. We do want to know that our soldiers receive honor when they come home, we want to know they are safe, and they will be proud they served God and man. We are not commanded to agree with our political officials but we are commanded to pray for those in authority over us. Why is it that we get up off of our knees when our loved one comes home? Carolyn is a contributing writer for 4MilitaryFamilies.com. | 
