Departure Day

This was a sad day for us. Today Hank and Michelle left on a jet plane to go home to Korea. We will miss them. They became very special to us during the 8 months they were here. After they left, Hannah kept repeating, "Bye Bye, Whooosh! As she did this, she made a motion like an airplane taking off. She seemed to understand at least the part about Hank and Michelle riding in an airplane.
There was yet another departure today. My older brother Donny was deployed to Iraq today. Imagine serving in the military starting at age 17, and when you are 49 being called to a hostile environment in the middle east. I salute the men and women who get in harm's way to defend and protect our liberty here and around the world. Having spent a little time in uniform myself, I got a tiny taste of what our servicemen do. It's quite a sacrifice! Our prayers are with Donny as he strives to make this world a better, safer place. And I want him to know how deeply grateful I am for all he and the others are doing.