A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....05-26-04....Letter From a Proud Military Wife

mrstank; Billie | mrstank

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

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A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

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~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

Bush - Cheney 04

The following letter was written by mrstank, a military wife, as well as a recent addition to our Finest Family. I am so pleased she agreed to let me share her words with you today.

April 23, 2004

Dear Focus on the Family,

I am writing to you in hopes of being able to somehow touch other lives and make a difference. I chose to write to you instead of the editor of my local paper, for instance, because I felt that if I expressed this view to the media, they would somehow construe it to mean something else. That said, please let me know if there is a way that I can get this message out in the way that God would intend for it to be heard.

As a bit of background, I am 24 and have been happily married to my Godly husband for 2 ½ years. When I married him, I knew the risks of marrying a military man, especially since it was just two months after 9/11. We have been fortunate that we had just over two years together before his National Guard unit was called to active duty. I am able to rejoice in the fact that he is serving God and his country at the same time. You see, there is every reason for him to not be in Iraq right now. For example, just three months after we were married we were in a head on collision with a tree that left my husband with a herniated disc between his shoulder blades. This could have been a bad enough injury for him to be discharged from the Army National Guard. He managed to overcome it, and in December of 2003 he was called to serve in Iraq.

I am proud to be a military wife left behind to tell the story of how God is working in the lives of those around us. Not only is my husband right where God wants him to be, He is using this to reach others both here and in Iraq. It is my belief that God used a series of events and people to orchestrate something that He wanted done. I may not see all of the pieces now, but if I am fortunate, maybe I will see the final piece put into place one day. Some of the pieces that He has shown me, however, are these:

In 2000 a president was put into office that wasn’t afraid to admit that he was a praying man, and sought God on decisions that he made. On September 11, 2001 the nation’s eyes were opened to see just how far Satan is willing to go to keep people from going to heaven. In March of 2003 this president declared his decision regarding another threat to the freedoms of this country and the world. Whether the reason for the threat was ever validated doesn’t matter to me. He made a tough call based on limited information, and I’m sure hours of prayer. As a result of that decision my husband was able to fulfill something that God had him in position to do.

As a child of God, how can I debate or argue with what He has called another one of His children to do? Sure it’s not a joy to wake up every morning to an empty house and wonder if my husband is okay. But as soon as I stop and think about it, I know that even if God decided to call him home, it’s what He had planned all along. Who am I to argue with the Father? I am reminded of a teenager asking his father why he can’t go out with friends one night. The father puts his foot down and makes sure the son never leaves the house. The next morning they awaken to news that there was a terrible car accident and the three teenagers in the vehicle were killed. That was the car the son would have been in.

You see, we don’t always make sense of things in the moment. We can analyze and pick apart every piece of a situation. Ultimately it doesn’t matter. We’ve all made decisions and choices and have to deal with the consequences. One of the consequences of war is death. The nature of consequences is that they are not a picnic, but are unavoidable.

In the illustration above, the consequence of not being out with friends was that the son now had to deal with the loss. A result of a decision his father made by not letting him go out. On the other hand, a good consequence is that the son is still alive to make other choices in his life. Hopefully through this he learned that sometimes father really does know best. We have made the decision to go to war and offer freedom to people who have never known it. Sacrifices have been made, and consequences have risen. It’s too late to change our minds though. If we don’t follow through with our decision, lives will have been lost for nothing. Just as the lives of those teenagers would have been lost for nothing if the son didn’t realize the wisdom of his father’s decision.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So instead of picking apart all of the decisions that our leader has made over the past four years, lets stand behind the decisions that he’s made and see the job through to completion. I’d like to believe that sending people to fight in war is one of the hardest decisions to make. I know I wouldn’t have wanted to make it. God gave him the strength to stand up for something and use his power to make a difference. My husband is now a part of that decision and that change. I know that he is fighting God’s battle as well as man’s battle. Let’s stand behind these men with prayers and encouragement and make their battle a little easier to endure.

The only way they get information from home is through letters and what they can get from the internet. Instead of all the negative press about this being another Vietnam and how the President was unjustified in his decision, let’s admit that we don’t understand it, but we support it. Instead of wondering how many more troops it’s going to take, and how much longer we are going to be there, let’s say we’ll do what it takes, however long it takes to finish the job we’ve started. Instead of sensationalizing the number of lives lost, let’s try to reach out to those left behind. What ever happened to “United We Stand?”

Sincerely,

(mrstank)

~ from Alistair Cooke ~

"It has always been cited as an irrepressible
symptom of America's vitality that her people,
in fair times and foul, believe in themselves
and their institutions."

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 05-24-04 Military Monday 05-25-04 Indiana, the "Crossroads of America"

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[Billie]

[Billie]

[Billie]

Good morning, All! I'll be back in a bit.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Billie.

[Conspiracy Guy]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful message. It is reassuring to see that someone as young as 24 understands that there is a big picture. If people would quit worrying about pixels, the picture would be more clear.

God Bless You

[Lakeside]

Good morning Billie and all the Finest.

Thanks so much Mrstank for sharing your letter with us. Your's and your husband's sacrifice is not lost with us. Our prayers are daily lifted up for his success and protection and for your's as you await his return. Glad to have you with us here at FR's Finest. We are looking forward to more of your insight and updates as often as you can.

Wishing everybody a great Wednesday (it's hump day already!).

[mrstank]

Thank you.

[mrstank]

Thank you. Did you catch the info I posted last night towards the end of yesterday's thread?

I haven't seen today's articles about it yet, but will post then when I get them.

[Conspiracy Guy]

It was my pleasure. Please tell everyone you know that most Americans appreciate the sacrifice made by our military and their families who wait. It is because of you that we are still free.

[mrstank]

Funny you should say that. I try to do that when I can, but I am usually not very outgoing. Yesterday I was waiting to have some lab work done at a doctor's appointment, and by the time I left I think I made a couple of enemys because everyone knew how I felt about my husband being in Iraq! It started out as an innocent conversation with the person next to me, but by the end everyone in the room had heard what I was saying. It kind of felt good to tell people that I am proud of what our military is doing.

[Temple Owl]

Good morning ladies. A great post.

[Conspiracy Guy]

What state do you live in?

[mrstank]

Maine. Why do you ask?

[dutchess]

Thank you mrstank for sharing this beautiful and meaningful letter and a belated welcome to the Finest. You are a wonderful addition to a group of wonderful people. Your husband will be in my prayers.

Billie...thank you for a very beautiful presentation. You outdid yourself! (ofcourse you always do :o) )

[dutchess]

Goodmorning Aeronaut. Watch your back today...am supposed to fly at noon :o)

[dutchess]

If people would quit worrying about pixels, the picture would be more clear.

That's good! (and so true)

[dutchess]

Wishing everybody a great Wednesday (it's hump day already!).

Wishing you a great Wednesday too!

[dutchess]

Morning Temple. I've been kind of AWOL lately. About time I send Ink some more cyber cheese.

[mrstank]

Thank you.

I'm off to organize the supplies for Vacation Bible School...I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I will catch up on my messages then. Thanks.

[FreeTheHostages]

Whew! Had a bad cold. Happy to be back: I promise I'm not contagious. This looks like a lovely treat. Let me take a look.