316/366

Most the veterans in attendance at the ceremony were older- with caps from Vietnam and Korea, even World War II. Even though he served 20 years in the US Navy Submarine Force, I rarely think of my husband as a veteran. And yet, a career in the military isn't just a job. It defined our life for a good many years. Sometimes it seems a bit ironic that our military serves to preserve liberty of others, and yet, it often seemed it was our family that suffered restrictions in those years. Daughters that wouldn't go to the stranger we kept calling "Daddy." Separations. Vacations on hold. How many words could we send in a message? Forty? Even today, 10 years removed, it would be easy to sit down next to another submariner and be transported back to those years.

I'm thankful for
those who sacrifice for our freedom,
encouragement to take an afternoon run,
the rich scent of pie baking,
the church leaders who truly enjoy one another,
a retreat back to my book at the end of the day.