One of Casey’s best friends left today for what will most likely be close to an 18 month deployment with the Marine Corps. He leaves behind his wife and four daughters, ranging in age from 11 years to 9 months. Casey went to his house to drive him to the airport at 6AM this morning, and got to the house in time to witness a “Yellow Ribbon Ceremony” in the front yard. Hank and “his girls” stood bundled up in the dark to pray and tie a ribbon around the oak tree in their front yard, where it will stay until he comes home.
We have been friends with this family for about two years and they have become some of our closest friends. They were the ones that showed up with pizza and paper plates the night before we moved to Atlanta and we sat laughing and crying amidst the boxes as we said goodbye. Even more poignant, they were the ones who showed up with pizza the night we moved back from Atlanta 7 days later, and we sat amidst the re-delivered boxes and laughed and cried some more. Casey has been meeting for coffee with Hank at 6 AM every Thursday for the past two years, and we have bounced between each others houses several times a week, sharing coffee and chocolate cake and letting the kids run wild. It’s hard to imagine not seeing them together for so long.
Tonight as Casey worked late, Kenny and I went over to share (another) pizza (do we need to start learning to cook?) and hang out a little on the girls’ first night alone. I can’t imagine saying goodbye to Casey for a year and a half. I have a hard time when he’s out of town for more than two nights in a row. I can’t imagine him leaving Cooper a 7 month old baby and coming home when he’s two. I can’t imagine for myself the sacrifice they are making as a family for what they believe in.
I was trying to explain to Kenny a few days ago that “Mr. Hank” was going away for a long time to fight in a battle. Kenny loves to read his little picture Bible, and so we turned to the story of Gideon and his army. “Is Mr. Hank going to fight in the battle with God’s army?” my sweet boy asked. “Kind of like that, honey.” “I want to show him my Bible so he knows about the battle!” Later that day, sure enough, he toted the Bible over to their house and showed Mr. Hank a picture of some soldiers in battle. Hank got a little choked up and gave him a big hug.
Anyway, tonight we’re a little blue… Casey is missing his best friend and I am sick at heart to think of my friend separated from her husband for so long.
Godspeed, Mr. Hank…
Comments
5 responses to “Tie a Yellow Ribbon…”
Crying and Praying for your friends and ever so grateful to Mr. Hank and all the other men and women sacrificing as he and his family are doing for the safety and freedom of our country.
As a military wife, I know the sacrifices all too well. It is a hard row to hoe, but with great friends like you the families left behind make it through. God bless Hank on his mission! And prayers and hugs all around to his family left behind. Stay strong, Semper Fi!!
This is so touching and so symbolic of what so many families go through and endure to keep our country safe and free. We owe our freedom and our privileges to the men and women of the armed services. I could not even start to imagine what it would be like to have my husband leave for this amount of time. Each member of a military family is a hero in my book. I pray for the safety and safe return of all our servicemen and women.
Gracias!
That brought back so many emotions for me. I will keep their family in my prayers continually.