This would mean that at least two of you are still with me. Thanks for not giving up.
For those of you who are my Facebook friends, you know that we've been busy....traveling and visiting family in Buffalo (hence the new picture included on this post of Veronica), in GA my sister Chelle and bil Bob and my sister Pat and bil Allan in TN. Lots to do at church, too, with Vacation Bible school in June, and prayer group, and our ladies group too....just planning the program and schedule for the upcoming year's meetings.
And then there has been the wonderful blessing of having Laurie back home. Her voice is like music in the house and her company so wonderful at the dinner table, or just sitting and chatting about the day. It's been a summer slightly similar to last; except this summer, it's Stephen who is deployed instead of Laurie. Our prayers continue for him, and for Laurie and Kasey. Hopefully, this will be the last deployment this little guy has to endure for awhile. He is a brave little man, but still, it takes a toll after awhile. Under his eyes, there are the dark circles which come from who knows what. Worry? Fatigue? Sadness? I don't know, but I do know those circles will disappear after his Dad gets home. They always do.
While we were on vacation, Kasey fell at day camp and sustained a concussion. I thought of nothing else that day....we were traveling through Kansas and I did only one thing between rest stops, and gas station fill ups. I waited for Laurie's text messages on his progress. Part of this grandma's heart just wanted to go home, where I couldn't do anything for him anyway, but at least I would be here. But then the other part of this grandma's heart was finally able to realize that I have a grown daughter who is Kasey's mom...a daughter who hadn't been able to be his mom for a full year and now, though a difficult situation, she was glad to be the one at his side praying for him. Sometimes it takes a bit of anxiety to see the reality....I am no longer guardian, but grandma. This is good, yes? As I wrote to Stephen in a letter yesterday, I can spoil him now. YAY!! But I don't regret one single day as his guardian, difficult as they sometimes were.
But this brings me to the title of this post.....
There's almost always a battalion ball after a deployment, and this was no different for Laurie. Most times that Stephen has attended these activities after his own deployments it's been where he has received his awards for actions/leadership displayed during his deployment. So, the other day, when Laurie and I were on our way to Sherwin Williams for some paint, I asked her if they gave out awards. She told me that, no, the awards have already been given out. Not one to elaborate, that was the extent of that question being answered. So I said, "did you get an award?" and she said, "Yes." Again, the answer wasn't enough for me so I said, "Well, so what did you get?" And she said, simply, "A bronze star." Sigh....again my turn..."for WHAT?" And she said, "for doing my job, Mom." It was awarded in a ceremony just a few days before she returned home from Afghanistan.
Now I know that many soldiers who have been deployed receive bronze stars....and they make little of it.
Stephen has received a bronze star (or two) This is not taken lightly by his in laws.
But that night as we were watching TV with Laurie, I said to Ron, "Did you know that our daughter received a bronze star?" He said, "No! And I'd like to see the commendation that went with it." Laurie reluctantly went upstairs and fished it out of wherever she had put it and brought it down, along with the certificate that went with it. Ron cried, and I cried as well. To see what Laurie had been through, the explanation of the award and why she was being nominated for it only a few months into the deployment.....well, it put things into perspective about this little girl/woman/soldier sitting next to us. And when we told her of our pride, she said, "I only did my job...I wanted to make that time count...it was important that I make it count."
I guess it shouldn't have come as a surprise....because whenever I thank a soldier these days, I always get the same response, "Thanks, ma'am, but I was just doing my job."
And an awesome job, at that.
Love to all who have done their job, to the families of those who have fallen while doing that job, and to those who wait while their loved one is still over there (and at home) doing that job.
