Give Thanks...Taylor Hoover

 I have no words that give justice to what others do--what others give--for strangers. Today, the body of a US Marine returned to American soil. He was one of many Americans and scores of Afghanis who died from a bombing attack halfway around the world.

His name is Taylor Hoover.

Tonight, I'm grateful to him and so many others risking--and giving--their lives so I can sit in my living room on a beautiful summer evening and, inadequately, honor his memory.

I ever meet Taylor--I know nothing about him, but he was from Utah...breathed the same air I did. A local news station reported about him in a link you can access by clicking: HERE. He played football at Hillcrest High. I understand he was to be married after his tour of duty in Afghanistan ended, plus so much more.

My father and six of his brothers served in WWII and the armed services. All my life, the life I could comprehend, I've been safe, safe from the hell others are living now. I've lived that life not understanding even though I come from a military family. It never hit home.  

It's been a terrible week for so many. I pray the nightmare ends soon. 

When You Can't Do Anything To Help...

As I do most mornings, I logged onto social media and saw a post from a friend.

It was horrifying.

I met my friend in the winter of 1985. Since then, he has gone on to do amazing things. He's served in the U.S. military and was stationed in Afghanistan years ago. Since he and I are not too close--he lives in the midwest and I haven't seen him in decades--I only see what he posts on social media. In following his posts for years, I knew he had worked with several translators in Afghanistan. Today he posted a note he received from one.

And since he hasn't posted an update, I wonder if my friend's friend has been killed.

I read the post sitting in my home office. My family still slept as the sun rose above the mountains to the east. I was relatively safe. No one was invading my town, or worse yet, at my front door prepared to kill me and my family. What makes things even more horrible is my friend is waiting to hear from his friends to see if they are even alive or not--all he can do is wait.

I don't claim to have any answers. I don't know the politics, the issues, the pros and cons. But I do know, if I were on my computer one morning and friends from across the globe were telling me they and their loved ones were about to be overrun and may not survive, it would be devastating...the uselessness of it all.

I pray for my friend, and for his friends.