A pretty heavy thought if you really take it in. However, being a mother of two and a wife of a deployed soldier, this has become a reality to me over and over again.
Two weeks ago, Ronin had one of the biggest falls ever (to a mom). He cried and screamed for at least twenty minutes; it left a sinking feeling in my chest that cannot be explained. I held him, but he could not be soothed, the pain was not subsiding and the comfort of Mommy's arms was not enough.
A couple days ago Davis, Ronin, and I were at a playground, there were a couple other kids around Davis's age and he was having a good time when we were suddenly joined by about thirty middle-schoolers. Time to go. The "big kids" weren't even there thirty seconds before I heard, "Oh my God!" and "Crap!" Things I don't particularly want my three-year old repeating; things, in fact, that I have already had to correct him from saying.
I received notification that five Soldiers were KIA (killed in action) in Mosul, Iraq. There are procedures in place that prevent the news from giving this kind of information to immediate family members (thank goodness!!), so when I heard through a military source, I knew that it was not Kevin, but I did know that he probably knew them since they were from his unit.
There is no place in this world where we are free from harm. I could keep my kids inside the house all day every day and it would not keep them from getting hurt. While I can teach Davis how to be a good boy and the things that are inappropiate for him to say; I will not always be there. And though Kevin is in a technically "safer" place than some; he is not immune to the tactics of the insurgents in Iraq.
The only "safety" I have found is in the hands of Jesus. He does not give us an illusion that life will be easy, risk-free, or continually pleasant, but what He does give us is the promise of His presence during the turbulence, the pain, and difficulty.
You and your family are continually in my prayers and on my mind.
ReplyDeleteWe love you all!