Perspective
Do you look or turn away when you see one of those bumper stickers that proudly proclaim that someone related to the owner of the vehicle is serving in our armed forces?
I'm a looker. I look and I wonder. Is that his wife? Her husband? Is that his Mother or her Father? I look and I wonder how they stand it. Does having a bumper sticker on the car help with the worry I wonder? Worry.Worry. Worry. My two boys are nearby and I worry about them all the time. I worry about mundane dumb stuff like...
Do they have enough gas in the car? Are they wearing condoms? Is their college loan going to be enough money? Stuff like that.
What I don't have to worry about is whether someone in a far away land hates them because of the uniform they are wearing and is shooting at them just because they are an American. Most gratefully I don't have that kind of terror clutching at my heart each night before I go to sleep.
A couple of days ago there was a truck in front of me at the gas station. We were both filling up. The rear window of the truck was in three sections.
The driver's window said:
Deployed 11-01-2008
In the center it said:
Proud Mom of U.S. Marine
Sgt J___ M______
3x in Iraq. Now in AF (Afghanistan)
The passenger window said:
Guard your men.
Watch your six.
Come home safe.
She's a Mom just like me I thought. How does she do it I wondered? A Marine in Afghanistan who has already survived 3 tours in Iraq? Ho-lee crap! It boggled.
Why I'm bringing this up...
I got another traffic ticket. I was pretty devastated. I mean I went through ANOTHER red light and didn't even notice it? That's dumb. That's scary. That's freaking expensive. *sigh* But, I see this window at the gas station and I start thinking...and counting my blessings.
I'm so thankful I don't have to carry that burden. It was humbling. It was enlightening.
Perspective... is everything.
I'm a looker. I look and I wonder. Is that his wife? Her husband? Is that his Mother or her Father? I look and I wonder how they stand it. Does having a bumper sticker on the car help with the worry I wonder? Worry.Worry. Worry. My two boys are nearby and I worry about them all the time. I worry about mundane dumb stuff like...
Do they have enough gas in the car? Are they wearing condoms? Is their college loan going to be enough money? Stuff like that.
What I don't have to worry about is whether someone in a far away land hates them because of the uniform they are wearing and is shooting at them just because they are an American. Most gratefully I don't have that kind of terror clutching at my heart each night before I go to sleep.
A couple of days ago there was a truck in front of me at the gas station. We were both filling up. The rear window of the truck was in three sections.
The driver's window said:
Deployed 11-01-2008
In the center it said:
Proud Mom of U.S. Marine
Sgt J___ M______
3x in Iraq. Now in AF (Afghanistan)
The passenger window said:
Guard your men.
Watch your six.
Come home safe.
She's a Mom just like me I thought. How does she do it I wondered? A Marine in Afghanistan who has already survived 3 tours in Iraq? Ho-lee crap! It boggled.
Why I'm bringing this up...
I got another traffic ticket. I was pretty devastated. I mean I went through ANOTHER red light and didn't even notice it? That's dumb. That's scary. That's freaking expensive. *sigh* But, I see this window at the gas station and I start thinking...and counting my blessings.
I'm so thankful I don't have to carry that burden. It was humbling. It was enlightening.
Perspective... is everything.
Labels: Perspective
Posted by Rosie at 12:01 AM
12 comments
