...If Only In My Dreams.

As Christmas day quickly approaches, those who celebrate the holiday are rushing to get last minute gifts, finish up last minute plans for get-togethers, and just hustling and bustling to prepare for the big day. Christmas has always been a very, very special holiday for my family and I. It has also regularly been the sharpest reminder the Army I serve is a jealous mate who regularly reminds me my allegiance to it must come before all other things. This has been the reality of my life for 21 years. It comes with the territory and at the end of the day I signed up for it and am proud of my service to my country. I hold no anonymity towards my Army.
Luckily for me, my family has stood in support of me every time I have had to endure this holiday alone and far from home. So have my friends who always remind me I am not forgotten even when half a world away. This year, for what I hope will be the last time, I am literally half a world away from those I love. I believe in my mission and I believe my sacrifice is necessary, alongside my brothers and sisters in arms here who stand side by side with our Korean counterparts to keep freedom alive in this beautiful country.
Having said that, everybody has the right to a "down" moment. Even incurable optimists like me. This is mine. Just for a moment, as I think of those I love and I imagine how special this holiday would be within hugging distance from them, my heart sinks just a little. Yet I am not one to dwell on the negatives and thus I will not do so here today.
I am the luckiest man in the world because I have a family who loves me as I am; flawed, woefully average, just a regular joe. Yet they still treat me like a super-hero when I am the furthest thing from it. I am also the luckiest man in the world because I have friends who are like an extended family. Friends who live all over the world and have issues and problems of their own, yet always find a moment to say hi, ask me how I'm doing, tell me how much they care about me, and even send me a Christmas card or a box of cookies to show their love for me, knowing I am usually too disorganized and forgetful to send them anything in return. They give without expecting anything in return other than my thanks and my love back towards them and the knowledge I will always have their back when they need me.
In this season of blessings, I am a very blessed man. While my heart sinks just a little as I imagine this holiday away from those I love, I won't be too far off. This holiday season, just like every single one I've had to be away, I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams.

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