support, even when you don't agree

in another month my brother will be halfway around the world, again. i'm a little scared because it's starting to feel normal. the first time he was deployed, i could barely get the words out before i was broken down in tears...not so much anymore.

i'm either beginning to think he is invincible, or my emotions are being broken down and i'm not feeling as much anymore.

my mind is wandering in so many different directions, i'm not quite sure how this will all spill out, so bear with me. i started thinking about my brother and why he joined the military in the first place, what i remember saddens me. my brother was not the brain of the family, but he was far from wearing the dunce hat. he struggled through school in some areas, but really excelled in others...during his last two years of high school, he built a house with his vocational school (he signed up to attend this specialized school for half days, i think he studied construction and that type of thing). when it came time to speak with his counselor about college and where he should apply, she actually looked him in the face and said he shouldn't even attempt college because he wasn't smart enough. can you believe that???!!! thank the Lord for public education! so, discouraged, he joined the military and went to basic a month after graduation.

he has made the military his career. don't get me wrong, he loves it, but i wonder what his life might have held had he chosen a different route. now, in his 10th year of service, he is going back to school, courtesy of the military. yay!!!

this made me wonder how many other soldiers joined for that reason, joined because they felt they weren't smart enough, someone told them they couldn't do any better, or they felt that was the only way they could get a paycheck. all of those kids who are in basic training the day after graduation terrified of being sent to another country.

my father was in the military, as was my grandfather...i guess it kinda runs in our family. though they didn't make it a career, just felt it was something they should do. i don't know much about my grandfather and his experiences, God rest his soul, but i have talked with my dad a bit. he served in Vietnam.

my heart aches for those veterans. not because i agree with, or even understand anything about that war...but because of the way our country treated them. when my father returned from the war and his time was up, he attempted college. i choose to leave names out because it is a different time and there is no need to know. the first college he attended froze him out. he was ignored on campus, during class and deliberately made to feel as though he didn't belong because he had served in the military. i don't think he lasted two semesters. and bless his heart for having the desire to try again! he began at another school not too far away and found a home there.

i know people oppose war, i understand people don't support whatever reasons they are aware of or want to take a stand and show our President why he's wrong...but why does it need to be taken out on the soldiers? at this point there is no draft, men and women are choosing to join the military and are being sent over-seas to do whatever it is they are told. some may support these reasons, but some might not. why not support them all just in case? why not let them know that there are people thinking about them and praying for them and hoping they come home safe, that they come home soon?

i participate in a program called AdoptAPlatoon. it matches volunteers with soldiers who wish to receive mail, packages...anything to keep their spirits up and remind them that they are not forgotten. to remind them that they are loved. i'm so proud to be a part of that group. i love what they do and how hard they work to make sure every soldier who wants to be matched up is matched up. i received my first soldier last fall and he returned to the states at Christmas, yay! i began writing to my second in February, i believe, and then received an email pleading for more volunteers. there aren't enough people willing to write to soldiers. you know this broke my heart...i began writing my second soldier at the beginning of May.

last week i received an email pleading for still more volunteers...i broke down. how awful to be away from your family, friends and anything familiar for who knows how long without anyone to write and say hello. someone to give you a break from your day to day life and tell you about what's going on in theirs. i offered to write to two more...

i don't support war, i don't agree with our military being involved in other countries and their affairs, but i also don't have any idea what is really going on over there. all i know is there are men and women who have been deployed to places all over the world and they need to know they are not forgotten.

i don't know if any of this makes any sense...i didn't intend to write so much or fly off on a tangent, i am just trying to stay awake while i wait for my sheets to dry.

i love my brother, seth and thomas, and hope you all will join me in praying for them over the next few months. we all need someone to think about us and keep us close to their heart.

growing through His love...