Tour of Duty

My younger brother, Marc, has possibly arrived in Kuwait. His tour to Iraq began as he stepped onto a bus in Lawton, OK last night. He will be spending 30 days in Kuwait and then the remaining 11 months just outside of Baghdad.

Though our family has had several months to prepare for this, the pain that gripped my heart last night was so unexpected.

I was supposed to call him Wednesday to talk to him one last time before he boarded the plane, as I left church I called and got his answering service at home, thinking that he was having a last night out with his wife and children, I left a message. Within minutes of leaving that message I was so gripped with sadness, I could not control the sobbing that was taking place. And within 10 minutes I found out why, they had moved his leave time up and as this sadness had overcome me, he had been saying goodbye to my mom, his wife and children...boarding the bus to the airport.

The chain of events over the past couple of months have been heart wrenching. First the call that confirmed that this time they were really going as he completed signing all the papers...those that will direct the events following his death...yes, this is all just precautions, butwhat reality comes with that. Then the plans to all come together as a family for one last time before he left, plans for my sister to meet her nephew for the first time, what an exciting time that was to be...we all haven't been together as a family in over 3 years. Then the call that all our plans were for nought, they moved his leave date up several weeks, making it impossible to come together. Then they continually moved his time of departure, to the final decision coming so quick that we didn't even have a chance to say good bye. The past 12 hours or so have been ones of uncontrolled thoughts, thoughts lingering on so many yesterdays, so many "last times," our last Thanksgiving, Christmas, the last time I hugged him; March 19 at his wedding earlier this year.

And now, so many hopes for tomorrow, for the time he will be reunited with his family, for the time I will be able to hug him again, for a time he and I can fellowship, that this tour will bring him to our Saviour's throne.