Dad’s deployed…Dad’s still flying
We stood at the edge of the runway and saw the huge plane lumber down the tarmac and somehow boost itself up into the air. Families stood shoulder to shoulder, flags waving, children clinging to Moms, some Dads, some caregivers. Tiny fingers wrapped around their shoulders, as all necks craned to see the aircraft circle overhead, and then change from a huge behemoth to a pinpoint in the sky… and then gone.
An empty pit formed in all of us. There they go… followed by the need to get going and get on with life, as it came at us fast.
I remember a Monday morning three months deep into a deployment. Base yard inspection was on Tuesday… needed to mow the lawn. However, I was the class Mom and had to have decorations and bake cupcakes for a school party. Had to get the car headlight fixed, groceries in the house had diminished to slim pickings, and the school called…my youngest chipped a tooth and needed to get to the dentist. Dale: where are you?
As I foolishly verbalized that question, James went to the window and saw a plane overhead. “There he is Mom, Dad’s still flying!” Simple wisdom. They saw Dad go up… so there he was, doing what he loved to do… doing what our children held with such pride: still flying.
Ah the simple wisdom of a child. Such understanding uplifts. That insight into delight and understanding can make your heart smile. I hope you find some of that today! Bless you, all of the families of deployed personnel. I pray you are able to stand shoulder to shoulder with a support group. Sometimes that support is found right in your own home, a work environment and/or other times in the comfort of friends. Keep in touch!byDeborahonMonday, September 15, 2008
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