I admit it. I have been known to be so moved with emotion that one might notice a tear or two on my face from time to time. This act of teary-eyed blubbering is quite the opposite of how my father might have reacted given the same situations. In fact, I only remember ever seeing him cry twice during my lifetime.
Those of you who know me will know that I can be quite emotional and that those emotions can range from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. And so, as we drove to meet our son-in-law who was returning from a tour of duty in Kuwait, I kept telling myself that I wouldn't give into my emotions and cry like a baby. Happy tears, of course.
Last year, as we said goodbye to him, I also said the same thing; that I wouldn't cry when I saw him hug his wife (my daughter) and their 17 month-old daughter before boarding the plane. That didn't work out so well either. I said goodbye to him and gave him a big hug and then I stood there and watched as they said goodbye to each other while I stood there weeping like a wombat.
Anyway, before he left, I had told him that we would take care of Shannon and Kaelyn while he was gone. I promised him that we would pray for him everyday and that we'd leave the light on for him. Now, almost a year later, there we were, waiting with the other families for our soldiers to return home. For almost a year, I prayed for his safety every night before I went to bed. And I always made sure that our porch light was on; after all, I promised him that we'd leave the light on for him.
As the bus entered the parking lot, there were cheers from the families who had anxiously gathered to welcome home their soldiers. We stood and watched as the bus door opened and one-by-one our heroes stepped off the bus, and then, I felt my heart skip a beat as my son-in-law stepped off the bus. He looked around and then locked eyes with his wife and daughter. Running to them he hugged them both and I watched as they stood there in a long, loving embrace. I watched for a moment and then everything got blurry. You guessed it; Blubbering Bill was experiencing a retinal rainfall. I was so happy and I am confident enough in my manhood to allow myself to open the waterworks once-in-a-while.
What a day. Rich was back home. Shannon was happy. Kaelyn was so happy to have her best buddy back home. And I was dehydrated. That night, as an act of thanks to God, I decided to leave the porch light off. God is so good.
Be Well.
Bill
