The Christmas Flag

Sam made this flag when he was in the 6th grade. On his own, with lights and a scrap of cardboard, he worked for hours before presenting us with his creation. Over the years it has survived rainstorms, freezes and the occasional neglect...but the lights have never gone out...not once.

I love this flag.

...my yearly reminder.

Homecoming

For the past 6 months our family has lived with the very real possibility that our soldier might not come home...ever. For 197 days we have gardened, grocery shopped, done our banking and budgets, gone to work and to school. We've attended soccer games and back-to-school nights and hosted a wedding. We've visited relatives, had lunch with friends and watched parades. We've sat in front of the TV, built fires in the fireplace and brushed our teeth at night. But every one of those 197 days had an edge to it; every one of those mundane activities felt different. Today, for the first time in 6 months, the edge is gone. We finally got the call we've waited for since he deployed to Iraq; the one that told us he was back on American soil. Today, we can think of Sam in terms of what he will do for the rest of his life. Going to college, deciding on a career, having a family. . .things we couldn't let ourselves think about when he was in harms way...are a reality again. It's like that scene in the movie, Sleepless in Seattle where Tom Hanks talks about getting up every morning and having to remind himself to breathe and hoping that someday he could get up and not have to remind himself to breathe.

Today...I didn't have to remind myself to breathe.