When he joined,
we secretly hoped the four years would quickly pass
and home he would come.
And somewhere in there someone in the know told
Dw and I
“it will get easier with each depl*yment”.
Those words are actually the farthest
from the truth,
this being his 8th one,
trust me in this…
there is nothing ‘easier’ about any of it.
Good thing we can’t remember who said it
or we’d have to call them on it!
Truth be known, the dread in our hearts overwhelms us at times.
Tears fall for “no good reason.”
And our family goes into it’s own high-alert prayer mode.
While in Africa we knew his 8th one was approaching
and we scheduled a special Skype time…
We gathered on one side of the ocean
and
he and his precious family were gathered on the other.
We laughed.
We talked.
We planned.
His humor is never at anyone’s expense,
yet he is truly the funniest person I’ve ever known.
Just kind of Farside”ish”.
About a month before he left he called Graham.
He asked if they would move their wedding date
so he could be home for it.
In his normal big-brother humor he questioned,
“So am I in the wedding?”
Mr. Graham, the serious younger brother responded,
“We’re actually not having anyone stand up in the wedding.”
Big brother didn’t blink, but persisted,
“So am I in the wedding?”
Graham repeated his answer again.
Big brother still didn’t blink,
but straight faced,
questioned yet again,
“So am I in the wedding?”
We were all laughing by now.
Of course, they changed the date and the wedding
will wait for him to come home
and he will likely take his place beside Graham
and we will all giggle.
In the meantime,
we pray, we send packages,
we write emails
and we pray some more.
I know there are many of you who pray
for our family.
picture from last summer
If we should come to mind,
please, please, please
would you pray for that hero of ours
and his sweet family of treasures?
He and his men are in the thick of it.
And to all who serve,
have served,
or wait stateside,
thank you.
From our home to yours,
we get it.
we get it.
Praying.
Thank you sweet friend.
Praying, praying, praying for protection and safety and God's presence for Tyler and for peace, strength and comfort for Sarah and for all of you…
You are such a prayer warrior Carol. Thank you!
Oh Linny, of course.
And just to remind you: May the angel Michael be at his right hand; the angel Gabriel at his left hand; in front of him, Raphael; behind him Uriel; and above, below and all around him now and always, the presence of G-d.
Thank you Penny!! You are such a blessing!
Oh yes Linny. Praying for your family. Prayers for safety
Thank you lizzielou. I appreciate it so very much!
I will pray.
Thank you Jessica. It means so much to this mama's soul.
I think it was three days ago… pressed up on my heart to pray for Tyler. His safety this time. Going to continue to pray and pray.
God hold Momma's heart in the palm of His hand.
You are always so in tune, my sweet friend. Thank you, thank you, thank you. xo
Will be praying! When I was in the AF we didn't have deployments then. Never went anywhere….well I was in England for two years serving, not like it was a battlefield our soldiers are on now days. I know my parents would have liked me state side but it was good. I met my husband that way. Score! Keep us updated and as always, we pray for our troops. Hugs, Linny! Thanks for always sharing your heart!
Thank you for your service Becky. Whether you deployed or not, you were there, willing. Thank you – and thank you for your prayers!
Oh sweet friends! We've been there and done that, not so many times as you, but we understand the edge of your seat way of living. We will be praying for you all. May God bless you with peace. We know Tyler is never alone and that God of the universe stands beside him all the way. Lord, have mercy!
The edge of the seat stuff is just over-the-top to my soul these days. We have had a big car pull up that we didn't recognize on a couple of occasions over the years. Nothing like the feeling, waiting.
Yes…Linny….every day….every day he is prayed over…his team….his precious family….every detail…. an absolute privilege to pray unceasingly for him and all of you…always on my heart <3 cindy
Thank you so much cindy. So grateful God is there with him.
Praying for Tyler, Sarah, Charlotte, baby Will, and all of you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifices you make every day! From the granddaughter of a Vietnam veteran xoxoxo
Thank you Mallory.
In the next few hours I will be leaving your beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. I am praying for your son and family with this 8th deployment. I want to thank your son and his family for the willingness, the sacrifice, and the bravery to serve our country. Him and his family have my highest honor, they truly are real life (daily) heroes. Sending love and a big hug your way.
PS- I just got engaged this past month and can relate to the question from family. We also plan on not having any wedding party to stand up, but we have been asked too. Haha
Oh New Mercies, did you love Phoenix? We love, love, love it here.
I loved Phoenix! I kept thanking God for the sunshine, the beautiful flowers, and I could not believe it, but I saw 7 hummingbirds up close while I was there! Sweet surprises of God's goodness! I feel refreshed coming back from Phoenix, truly a blessing. Sending love & prayers to your family, Linny. Have a blessed week in Him 🙂
I will pray for all of you. My brother did similar things and I was in the same year in school with one of the men who was killed in Somalia — the Black Hawk Down story?
Anyway. Praying.
Love in Him who knows what it is like to send a Son on a Mission.
Sandy in the UK
Oh me. The Black Hawk Down story? So horrible. Thank you for praying Sandy.
Praying for your "big" boy and for all of you. We are m military now too with Katie's hubby being in the army. It's all new to us but we are learning… Love the pic! Hugs to you dear friend…
Jean, I think of your Katie often….she was such a blessing to our family when we were in Iowa!! I am soooo excited for your new grandbaby!! Yippee Jesus!
Praying for your sweet boy. I remember well counting down the day while my guy was deployed to SWA.
Hugs to you girlfriend,
Suzanne
I remember when I was little seeing my Dad off on many occasions and being there when he arrived back home. I remember being so proud that he was my Dad and proud that he wore a uniform that stood for so many wonderful things. I will surely add Tyler to my prayer journal and ask that the Lord protect him not only physically but emotionally. They are Brave and Courageous!