View From the Back Forty

We sat in our old pew today, after three months of not being able to attend church physically, because of the COVID-19 virus. It felt amazing to be back in our old pew, and I took a few moments to just feel all the emotions, and the blessings of being back in our usual spot on a Sunday morning. I embraced all the history our family has in our usual spot in church. The pew where we were newlyweds, full of hope and dreams, and waiting for our life to start. The pew where we became a family of three. The pew where I had an emotional breakdown during Easter service, after a miscarriage. The pew where we learned toys, crayons, and anything that could roll would roll all the way to the front of the sanctuary. The pew where we welcomed our second son and became our complete family. The pew with no padding, so any noise the boys made is heard across the sanctuary. The pew where I got a hug from the lovely woman in front of us, because I had a rough service with our wild child, who want...

In January of 2003, I was a 22-year-old college student who was looking forward to my last semester at college.  I had my plans lined up, and goals worked out.  But I got a call that changed my life forever! Oh! I was in the Army Reserve also; did I forget to mention that? Yes, so I got a call that said you have 24 hours to report to the reserve center with all your Army things and whatever else you think you might need for an indeterminate amount of time. What?  I cried all the way home, grieving the life I was leaving behind, having no idea if I would ever return or how life would be, if I returned. I dutifully packed my things and reported like a good soldier, and began my journey to Iraq.  A journey that would end up being a year and a half before returning home.  Life looked a lot different when I returned. A lot of my family and friends seemed very much the same, but I felt very different.  I was looking at life through a different lens, a lens s...