Rising Through Tough Times
The other day I watched a video that was sent to us by some good friends. Mom had forwarded the video showing her husband returning from being gone for several weeks as he started his new job and extensive schooling as a truck driver. In the initial training period, the new company required him to spend almost a month on the road as he traveled the continental United States to fulfill his duties on the new job. Tough work, long hours and ridiculous time spent away from family. The video showed his sons running up to him and hugging him in a long embrace...if dad wasn’t crying I took care of it for him. It seems I am getting softer and more sentimental as I add years. My guess is that the time spent away has been a challenge to mom, possibly weird, sad and confusing for their two sons, and probably gut wrenching and challenging for dad.
I have seen the videos when a mother or father in the service returns home from overseas and surprises the kids and their spouse as well. It is cool to watch something like this and it usually makes my eyes well up and puts a giant lump in my throat. It always reminds me of why we are here and exactly what matters most.
For many, including us, it seems like this has been one of the most challenging times that we have been through. I am not sure historically how the last five years will appear when viewed from a history book, but it feels like we have been through the ringer. The last few years have taught me much about character, resilience and survival. Still, we live in the greatest country in the world, have more freedoms and opportunities than most, and I can’t help but lose track when I begin to count my blessings.
We are put on this earth to love each other and make loving, happy, successful children. It goes without saying that we may stumble and even whine and complain a bit when thrown a new curveball, but in the end we hunker down and get tougher. We do what we think we are supposed to do because it is our job to survive and raise the best kids we possibly can...that way they can someday go out and do the same.
So hats off to all of us. Those of us that have dug in to get through this challenging time...those of us that have changed jobs and locations and uprooted our families because it was what we thought was best. Maybe we’ve spent time feeling sorry for ourselves, pointing fingers and directing blame here and there, but in the end we are all survivors and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like this has made us all stronger and even better than we were before.
Kudos to those of us that have strengthened the backbone of our families and our great country. Hats off also to those of us that have led by example through this difficult time and have not lost sight of the final prize. As we continue on and focus on our own green pastures, remember how our littlest people are watching, learning and taking notes. Someday what we are doing will be up to them, and someday they will do greater things than we ever thought possible. We rock!
