Red, White & Blue

What a fantastic Fourth of July!  To get to spend this time with family and friends is always wonderful, but this year I welcomed my husband home from 12 long months  in Afghanistan, just days before this most patriotic holiday, which makes it even more special to me.

WELCOME HOME CEREMONY

We spent yesterday with his folks, who flew in for his homecoming, driving up to the summit of Pikes Peak where it was snowing so hard we could barely see the view – it’s so strange to experience snow in July!  That evening we joined some friends of ours, one of whom also just returned from Afghanistan, along with their families, for a fantastic barbecue and fireworks here at home with people we love.  

This morning I’m sitting here on our couch, my husband asleep right here beside me, and I think I might be the happiest woman in the world.  I wish that every wife in our squadron could feel the same way that I do, but freedom has never been free, and although I am thankful for the safe return of so many of our Soldiers, my heart aches for those families who are missing their Soldier today because he gave the ultimate sacrifice.  For his country.  For his family.  For me and for you. 

So today is wonderful but also bittersweet, and knowing that this won’t likely be our last deployment makes this quiet moment even more precious.  But soon we’ll be settled back into our day-to-day life and I am so thankful for that.  Sometimes boring is better than exciting.  *smile* 

I hope you’ll take a moment today to remember the sacrifices that have been and continue to be made every day by our Soldiers and their families, but I hope you cherish and celebrate the family and friends that you see every day, too.  There really is nothing better than having the ones you love around you.

Happy Fourth of July.

-C

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