The Duffy Family: A Hero Comes Home

Thursday, October 22, 2009

A Hero Comes Home

Sacrifice:
1. "To do without something or to suffer a loss for a belief, idea, goal or another person."
2. "A giving up of something especially for the sake of someone else."

I've been given the opportunity to think long and hard about sacrifice lately. A dear family friend has been sacrificing for the last 6 months along with so many other U.S. service men and women. I've always been thankful for those who serve, but until recently, the level of true understanding of all that they give up in order to continue what we so freely partake of daily has been ashamedly dismal. I've watched as a family has had to learn how to live without the head. I've watched children learn to adjust as best they can to a daily routine that doesn't include Daddy. I've watched an amazing woman take charge and DO everything while her other half was DOING for us, rarely complaining to the outside world. It's been eye opening none the less and has challenged me to step up. Sacrifice. Our service men and women willingly serve us knowing full well what the possibilities are. Knowing that more often than not, they will spend months...years even...away from home, family, friends, and all that they hold dear. But they choose it regardless, and were it not for those special people, we would not benefit from the glorious thing we know as freedom. How incredibly burdened I am now for these families having witnessed the life of a family in the throes of sacrifice.

Our family friend was overseas for 6 months. He came home a week ago and if you have never witnessed a serviceman or woman being welcomed home, emotional does not even begin to describe it. I had my camera ready as his girls got a fresh glimpse of their Daddy for the first time in 6 months...as a wife was finally made whole again. So much had changed in such a short period of time that had seemed like an eternity quite certainly! There are no words to describe adequately and most sincerely the emotion that wells up within when you see a father and child RUN towards eachother, huge grins plastered across their faces!! It is something I certainly will never ever forget. All our men and women should receive welcomes so wonderful. They should all know how grateful we are for their sacrifice. They truly are heroes in my book!!

Tomorrow, Chris flies out to spend the last 6 months of active duty in California. It's nice knowing he's on U.S. soil now, but still, 1500 miles away is continued sacrifice. Still a distance that his wife and 3 beautiful children will feel daily. Still a distance that his friends and family will feel daily. We are counting down the days where there will be visits home until that wonderful day in April when the one year mark is up and he is sent home again. Getting back to a normal routine will most definitely be a welcomed thing indeed!!! In the meantime, we pray for protection, grace through the difficult times, never ending, overflowing gratitude to those who serve, and intentional acts of service of our own that can never fully repay what has been given to each of us. Thank you, Chris, and thank you to so many others who give so freely of themselves. We love you!