Thank God, He's Home

Like my husband, my brother is in the military. But he has a very different kind of job.

I'd tell you about it, but to be honest, I don't have any idea where to start.

He works in intelligence and has one of those jobs where no one really knows what, exactly, he does.

He works somewhere, doing something I'm not sure about, when he's stateside.

And when he's not stateside? When he's gone? When he's deployed and in "the black," to use a military phrase?

I have no clue what the boy does.

He leaves, and we're given little to no warning. He heads someplace he can't tell us about. And, most of the time, we have no idea when he's coming back.

The upside? He loves what he does. He believes in it. Whatever "it" is.

But the downside?

It's absolutely, 100-percent terrifying. For us, anyway.

After all, it's not like the international scene is peachy-keen and particularly pleasant these days. And, when left to my own devices and imagination, the situations my brother is dealing with seem a thousand times worse than even the news lets on.

To be honest, I particularly don't like not knowin, though I can handle the element of surprise when it comes in the form of birthday parties, free desserts, and frequent-buyer discounts.

But when it involves my brother's life?

I want to stay firmly away from the edge.

However, for the last six weeks, I have been forced to stand freakishly close to the precipice I want to avoid.

You see, he's been gone. God knows where he is or what he's doing. He's just been gone.

And that's scary for me.

I'll be frank here; I let my imagination run wild while he's been away.

I wonder what could happen to him. I wonder how we'll get word if something does. I think about what I'll have to tell Ella. I worry he won't really get a chance to be my daughter's uncle or his fiance's husband.

It's scary, my mind while he's been away.

Which is why, every night, while saying Ella's prayers with her, I made sure to include, "Lord, please protect Uncle B, wherever he is. Send him home to us safely."

It was my only way of surviving. It was the only thing that I knew how to do.

And, thank the good Lord, our prayers were answered.

Last week, out of nowhere, my mother got a call.

My brother was headed home.

***

This past weekend, my brother landed safely in the states.

So this Veteran's Day? I got my wish.

My brother, one of the many service-members in my family, came home.

Thank you, God.

I could care less about the free meals or the hand-shakes my relatively safe, fellow-Navy-man husband will receive tomorrow.

I'm not all that interested in the pomp and circumstance that will proceed the 5K Ella and I are planning on running tomorrow.

I just care that my brother is safe. That, for now, my whole family can step back and breath a sigh of relief.

Again, thank you, God.

After all, not everyone can say that. Not everyone can praise the good Lord that their veteran has returned home. It brings tears to my eyes because the few times I've let myself imagine that happening to my brother, I can't even picture going on without him.

The world we live in isn't fair, that's for sure. I wish no one had to die serving their country or doing what they believe is right.

But it is a part of our reality, as much as I don't like to even consider the possibility.

Which is why today, I am so incredibly grateful for the people like my brother, who love their job and respect their duties as servicemen and women. Because they truly know the sacrifice they are potentially making.

And that is also why I will continue to pray daily for every single one of them.

So that, like me, everyone will be so lucky as to have their veteran come home one day.

***

I'm running a 5K with Ella in honor of a fallen airmen on Veteran's Day tomorrow. What's everyone else's plans?

Happy Thursday, everyone!