Slowly I gathered our bags, I hugged my children tight, and I took one more glance out the window to a sister I will never meet.
A woman who has slept alone and cried alone, who has fed her children meal after meal praying for her soldier to come home soon, who has lost herself to that song on the radio that reminds her of him, who has sat at the red light praying for his safety even when it turns green, who has dreamt of him coming home, and lived for the calendar to pass by.
A woman who knows my life as a military wife, who has waited anxiously by the phone for the calls to hear his voice, and the dreaded call she hoped to never receive. I will not forget her, dressed in black, lying on her soldier, crying onto the American Flag. I hope my daughter will not either. She is a part of us; she is a part of this life that we live. This Army of One. We, the wives, husbands, and children that make up this military life, we are one. We are the families of soldiers. We are the strong, the proud and the brave…..serving from home until our soldiers come home to us at night.
Photo Credit: Bill Abbott
