Never Forget
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Posted:Dec 15, 2010 7:08 am
Last Updated:Dec 22, 2015 6:47 pm
2183 Views
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In the times of our lives, strife and struggle has become commonplace.
We've become so jaded to that fact that sometimes we forget, that as we wait for our coffee to brew or the traffic jam to clear, men and women ...our friends..neighbors..relatives and strangers, put themselves in harms way to serve our country and her citizens. They offer their lives in the hope that no one else should have to. Ronald Regan once said "Some people spend their entire lives wondering if they've made a difference in the world. The soldier doesn't have that problem."
It is my feverant prayer that once their task is complete, they return home once again to the open arms of a country that will never forget their sacrifice.
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The Angel
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Posted:Dec 15, 2010 7:07 am
Last Updated:Dec 22, 2015 6:48 pm
2360 Views
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The mountain winds blow warmly
And whip the ’s mane.
They travel, and rider,
Through the sea of amber grain
Headed for the tree line,
the endless wall of green.
Steady are the ’s hooves,
on a trail that cant be seen.
The moonlit night, the starry sky,
they ride on hallowed ground.
The thunder in the distance,
striking hoofs, the only sound.
They move along the path,
and rider, in the night.
To find a sweetly pastured place,
among the mountain heights.
The steel on rock , the sparks that flew,
The creaking of his seat,
Riding towards an angel,
The rider soon would meet.
They rode into the clearing,
Through the foggy morning cold.
The sunlight filtered through the trees
his body feeling old.
His knees went weak, his shoulders slumped,
He tumbled to the earth.
And came to rest before the angel,
His guardian since birth.
He thought of times and places,
and all that went undone,
He wondered, would it be enough,
before his setting sun.
The souls so near and friend’s he’s lost,
began to reappear,
The thoughts and feelings locked inside
remind him that they’re near.
The tear that fell apun the ground,
sent waves across the field.
The rider knelt beside his mount
His anguish wouldn’t yield.
And then the Angel wrapped him close,
into her soothing arms
and whispered softly to his soul
“I’ll keep you safe from harm.”
“The bond we have for those we love,
shall never be apart,
and when the winds of fall approach,
You’ll see them in your heart.”
“Your friends will never leave you,
they give your soul it’s strength.
They give you hope and purpose,
And fill your mind at length.
“They watch you in your day to day,
and give you piece of mind.
Just look within the love you shared,
It’s there for you to find.”
He mounted up and turned his ,
into the noonday sun.
Pressed his heels into the flanks,
and broke into a run.
They sped across the open ground,
as if they both could fly.
and rider heading home
beneath the cloudless sky.
A smile escaped the riders lips,
he gently closed his eyes.
He thought about his angel friend,
and all his earthly ties.
He said a little quiet prayer,
to thank her once again.
And knew that should the need arise,
She’d be there as his friend.
With my deepest appreciation, gratitude, and love to Shy and jess
My angels when I needed them most
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Thank You..From a long time ago
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Posted:Dec 15, 2010 7:06 am
Last Updated:Jun 25, 2016 7:15 pm
2164 Views
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My friends,
I wish to address this letter in an open forum so as to include
everyone whom I have spoken to since my return.
As most of you know, I have been absent as of late. My recent experience overseas was not what I had imagined or had ever
encountered before and it has left me feeling somewhat at a loss for words; or at least the ability to vocalize them to the extent that I had wished. I have missed talking to all of you and look forward to doing so in the near future but I still have some issues within myself to resolve beforehand. I did want to thank you all for the good wishes and thoughts that I have received in the past few weeks. Although I may not have expressed it at the time, they served to help keep me focused on what is going on in my life now rather than to dwell in the past and they were greatly appreciated. I know I have spoken to some of you in great detail about my experiences and for that I shall be forever grateful. You have listened to me as I vented and raged, and all the while, you responded only with compassion and caring. You lent me your shoulder to cry on and you have been there to just be with me as I try to make sense of it all. I cannot begin to tell you what a few lines on a computer screen could possibly mean when all I wanted was to hide myself away and forget. Your patience has helped me to understand, and even though we may never meet, I shall always remember. I wrote a letter to my before I left, to be given to her in the event of my death. I would like to share one paragraph because I believe it is fitting to those of you as well:
"You shall not fully understand why I had to leave you; only that I did. But your spirit is strong and your light will shine within you. You cannot understand; nor shall I, the forces of this world to be so great as to tear apart the aspirations of thousands in but a fleeting second and cause sorrow and unimaginable horror for people such as we. It is this sorrow that we seek to quench and in its place; leave the memory that someone remembered and shed blood that their life might someday be fulfilled as I have been so fortunate to share."
I have been fortunate to know each of you and to call you my friend. And you, in your own way, have helped quenched the sorrow and sadness that I returned with. Although I struggle with it still and know that I shall never be completely free of the images and feelings I came away with, I have learned that the true nature of friendship is not in the success of the fight but in the sharing of the struggle.
My career in Search And Rescue has now come to a close and I pass the banner of my cause to the next. But I can now sleep a little deeper knowing that we finished the task at hand with the outcome we had prayed for; that my teammates and I returned home safely to their friends and family with the knowledge that at least in some way, we did make a difference. For that, I will always be thankful to the men and women with whom I have had the privilege of serving. I shall forever keep them close to my heart and I am honored to have you stand next to them.
God bless you all.
This letter has been reposted in an attempt to quiet the demons that we all sometimes carry.
UPDATE
My friends,
Let me once again say thank you. Your comments and well wishes have yet again given me strength and encouragement.
Id like to tell you about an incident that happened to me a few days after I posted this letter.
I was in my regular room and was chatting with a relatively new person to the room. He seemed like a nice enough guy and although I've been known to not be too welcoming to newbies sometimes, we chatted along. As the conversation went on, I soon discovered that my new chat mate was from the same region as the village that fills my dreams and memories. He actually helped build some of the schools in the area.
Now, I'v not spoken to anyone from that area since my return, nor did I ever expect to.
I sat there looking at the screen, tears forming in my eyes, almost afraid to say anything. What DO I say? Its not often that I find myself at a loss for words, but as my mind began to fill with the images of the past.One question stood out screamed out for me to ask.
Did it make a difference? Was what we went through what my friends went through worth the cost?
This one question, above all others, has haunted me for years.
I NEVER expected that I would one day get an answer.
His answer was a simple one. "Absolutely, you made a difference. From my entire nation, I thank you, Sir."
As you can probably imagine, by this time I was crying like a baby. That one statement erased years of doubt and pain caused by the wonder of..Had we done enough? Did it really matter with so many others gone?.....A hundred different what-ifs.
My memories are what they are. That cannot ever be changed. They will always be a part of me and have forever changed who I am. My frustration, anger, remorsefulness and of the other emotions continue.
But the doubt of was it enough. has greatly diminished. We did the best we could, and my statement.."that their life might someday be fulfilled as I have been so fortunate to share" has come to pass.
It reminded me of the story about the boy and the starfish.
A small boy and his father were walking along the beach when they came apun hundreds of starfish washed up on shore by a storm.
The boy began picking them up and throwing them back into the ocean. His father watched for a minute before saying"what are you doing ?..You cant save them all. What differance does it make?"....The boy picked up a starfish and as he threw it back into the ocean, he said.."It matters to that one"
The people of the town do still survive. They live, breathe and love.in the village that for so long, I tried to forget.
For that, I am sorry. How foolish of me not to realize that they are also a part of me.
As much a part of me, as I am them.
Thank you friends
Thank you ribbitt
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