My Memorial Day Tribute With A Twist

If you know what the following means...I honor you on this memorial day weekend.

TDY, PCS, BDU, Sponsor's ID,

If you know what it means to live in a different place every one to three years...this is for you.

If you know what it means to maintain a houssehold while your spouse is thousands of miles across the world...this is for you.

If you know what it feels like to be away from family and friends on holidays, birthdays and weddings...this is for you.

If you know what it means to be part of a community with bonds stronger than some families...this is for you.

If you are a military wife...this is for you!

When we watch the news and see units and soldiers being deployed overseas, lets not forget the strong men and women who are being left behind. Men and women who now become single parents for as long as a year or more. Men and women who have to be mom and dad, who have to juggle extreme responsibilites and who have to be ready to answer the question "When is mom or dad coming home."

Eventually this season ends and life returns to normal except for the wives who receive the visit that no one wants or expects. The visit that their soldier is not returning home. I was visiting with my aunt recently and she shared with me the day that she received that visit. The day that a uniformed officer knocked on her door and gave her news that her soldier had been wounded and was coming home. She was one of the lucky ones who had to make arrangements for medical care and not a funeral.

I had the honor of recently spending time with a group of military wives in Italy. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was in the precense of some amazing women. Strong women who loved their husbands and embraced their role of military wife with passion and zeal. They truly taught me more that weekend then they will ever know. They showed me how important it was to surround yourself with women who will love you, support you and be there whenever you need them the most. Their community was stronger then some families. Their support for one another is what I believe God has commanded of us all.

So on this memorial day weekend...I honor all of those who are serving and who have served...but I also want to honor the wives of those sailors and soldiers.

I truly believe when someone joins the military...the whole family is serving. So the next time you see a military person...thank them and their family.

THE GREAT COVER UP #3

I remember growing up in the neighborhood and how there was always a family that everyone felt sorry for. The mom was mentally unstable and it seemed that the children had to take care of themselves. They never played with the other neighborhood kids and were always seen as "different." One might even say that they were loners and primarily kept to themselves. What a terrible thing it must have been for them to be raised under these conditions. Possibly feeling neglected and isolated. As the children became teens and young adults it seemed that they found acceptance in diverse groups and made choices that were reckless and dangerous.

Fast forward 25 years....

After making numerous visits to my dad's bedside this week, my mom realizes that one of the children from this family is in the room five doors down from my dad. The son, lying in ICU, suffering from AIDS. Something inside of me felt like we should go in and visit with him. An inner struggle began to take place. Why should I go I asked myself? He won't rememeber us...we could just keep walking by like we have been doing so far. Possibly the embarassment of not reaching out to him in all of our years growing up sunk in. How does one walk into his room and suddenly care about him? God was now prompting me again to face the brokenness in someone. God was leading me to put aside my fear, pride, shame...and just go.

As we walked towards his room I was already rehearsing what we would say. We would be nice and re-introduce ourselves to him and before we left...offer to pray. As we entered his room...he smiled...and said that he remembered us. After a few moments of small talk I asked if we could pray for him. He immediately said yes. My next thought is one that I am very ashamed of. I have heard many talks on AIDS and I am very familiar with how it is contracted and shared. I know that it is not spread through hand to hand contact...but in my selfish mind I thought to myself...do not touch me. You see...I have been stretched by God to "look" upon brokenness...but to touch it...no...not yet not now. Before I could bow my head and close my eyes...I felt a grip on my hand. He grabbed mine without even asking...it seemed to be natural to him...and now...it felt natural to me. I prayed for him and held hands with him. After we prayed we had a very brief conversation about Jesus and he shared with us about his faith in Christ.

I left the room wondering if he often feels lonely because of our ignorance to his disease. I doubt it! It seems that even though he is probably often judged by his past mistakes and choices...he really ministered to us. We walked into his room expecting to do him a favor by our visit and our prayers...but he actually did us a favor. He reached out to us...he showed us that God continues to use us in spite of our brokenness, our ignorance and our pride. He helped to break down a barrier that is often there between AIDS patients and us. We often give to their cause and will even wear a badge or walk in a walk-a-thon...but when do we ever stop and just touch them. Let them know that the only difference between us and them...is possibly a bad decision. We all have brokenness in our lives!