When I first heard that my nephew-in-law, Captain Walter Lewis , was coming home from Iraq for two weeks of R & R, I was so thrilled for my niece Lauren and their baby Brayden. WL left for his tour of duty not long after his son turned one. WL had now been away for about 9 months and he was coming home to see a completely different baby boy.
We were all a bit different, too, in our own way, different from missing WL and praying for his safe return, different because time passing changes 100 little things.
Lauren now wears braces on her teeth and bravery in her heart. His son Brayden now walks and talks that insistent way that babies do when trying to make us understand them. When asked about his daddy, he would heartbreakingly say, "da-da gone bye-bye." We would all get misty eyed every time that happened. Baby Brayden did not know what was going on but could feel the excitement.
As the final countdown days began before WL's return, we all gathered at my sister's house. Lauren and the baby flew in from Texas as the family reunion would be near the Entire Extended Family. No one would be left out on hugging this soldiers neck, no one. Grandparents would be here for the big visit. A brother and his family were also flying in. Four generations would be represented. A lot of love would be shining around this family over the next 2 weeks.
The countdown proved to be somewhat difficult near the end because we did not know exactly when WL was flying in from Atlanta. He had to fly from Baghdad to Kuwait and the rest we did not know. This was the military after all and involved some secrecy for safety sake. There were also some briefing sessions as prep work for returning a soldier to family. A soldier plucked up from months of war and placed back state-side for a family celebration needs all the help he came get. He needs some transition time and useful tips. This is not just walking from one room in a house into another room. WL would be stepping into our Florida life straight from Baghdad war.
For 2 or 3 days we were on stand-by here, waiting for the exact flight number. We did not want to leave the house and miss the call from WL telling Lauren when he would be arriving in Jacksonville. We hung out, ate my brother-in-law's fine cooking and played with the baby.
Lauren decided we should all travel to the airport together to meet the plane if we could. We spent some quality time making signs to carry. My mom and dad did a bit of coloring for the occasion. My young niece is quite the budding artist decorating edges in true creative fashion with bits of pink and green. Good girl!
Everyone wanted in on the sign making action. We wanted WL to see how happy we were to see him. Like he would not know from the crowd, from the look at us all!
When the day arrived we all got up at the crack of before dawn and drove north to the Jacksonville airport. There were so many planes coming in from Atlanta, we were not positive which flight WL would be on but our soldier was not stepping off any plane and walking into an airport without faces he knew beaming at him. He would be welcomed with hugs and kisses and a plethora of "Thank you, dear Jesus."
Not everyone could be at the airport to meet WL, but we did take over own section at JAX. The way we came in carrying signs and cameras other people we passed thought maybe a rock star or a football hero was about to arrive.
Strangers starting asking, "Who are you here for? Is it some one famous?"
"Yes, it is someone very important!' I answered, "It is my nephew home from the war."
People we did not even know started to gather. WL's sister had made this huge sign covered with family photos and when we taped it to a pole near the arrival gate, more folks came over. We were drawing a crowd and that was good because we still had a long time to wait. It gave us a new place to park our excitement, or better yet, a place to stir it up.
Oh, this part is so cool. Lauren had called the Channel 4 news desk. She turned this family welcoming home party into a Real News Event. I don't know exactly everything she said but she was full of Positive Excitement and Talking Points and Sound Bites. She mentioned the baby who had not seen his father in months, she mentioned the tons of signs and one thing led to another. Did I mention she is a clever charmer!
So Channel 4 sent over an outgoing reporter and a friendly camera man to help us give WL something to think about forever, a gift of we-are-so-glad-you-are-home. This was something right up his alley so we knew he would be pleased.
Maybe it was a slow news day. I do not know. I was so proud of Lauren for pulling it all together. Debs, my sister kept saying, "She is just like her auntie somepinkflowers! This is like something she would do."
[I was beside myself with pride at the comparison. I really was, but yes, it had my stamp all over it. What else can I say? beam, beam...]
So the News Guy put a mike on Lauren in order to pick up any true love conversation. People were being interviewed and taped all around us as we waited. We were all over the place chasing the baby and hugging each other. More folks we did not know came over to see why Channel 4 was there. One thing led to another.
When we were making these signs we all envisioned ourselves jumping up and down waving a sign as WL walked down the corridor from the plane. Like a scene from a movie. The truth is, we were all carrying cameras to record the moment and tissue to wipe the tears. I started handing out signs to nearby strangers who had gotten caught up in the flurry of excitement, they wanted a piece of the action.
Every one of these friendly people said they knew someone off at war. One caring women said she was "proud to hold the sign for any American soldier."
I know it may sound lame but everyone seemed to want to show support. It was as if by showing support for this soldier, our WL, they were sending a message to all soldiers, "Forget the politics of the situation! We support you all and are thankful."
And so that is how it happened.
One older couple I had never seen before even used a cell phone to call their friends. "Yeah, we are busy over here welcoming home a soldier," the older man, who had been off to war himself years and years ago, said. "Can you wait awhile? We don't want to leave until he gets here."
His wife, also holding a sign, said, "I know a thing or two about waiting at home for your husband to return from war."
Later that night on the 5:00 news our family was the news teaser that ran the full hour. Every ten minutes or so there was video and voice-over about our Walter Lewis and his family. We were the human interest story discussed at the anchor desk and that was great for us because that meant all the grandparents who stayed home could watch in on TV. Oh, happy day!
Lauren was radiant with happiness, WL was handsome and earnest in his interview for the media. He told the reporter how hard is was to be away from his young son. I cannot talk about the rest as I will cry now. If at some point I can find a way to upload it here I will give it a try. In the Channel 4 news segment you can see our family openly weeping with joy and babbling with thanksgiving. I love our open-hearted family and how it brings good people together.
Thank God for the strangers carrying our signs!
They were beaming and articulate and waving the signs for the camera. Strangers stood up proud and tall and talked about our family's love for our soldier. We have no idea who these thoughtful folks are now but we had waited and waited together for so long and visited the way you do here in the south. There they were, our spillover family for a moment in time, on the 5:00 news with us. I am amazed.
They have an airport story to tell and will add their prayers to ours every time they think about what happened that day. I love that kind of random sharing of happiness.
By some unspoken wisdom we all stood back so that there could be a husband and wife reunion. We breathed a sigh of relief as if we passed WL's family, his wife and child, back over to his care. We had done our part, our supportive roles in the production of True Love Reunited. There was a sweet family reunion, touching father-son moments.
Let me just say it was wonderful. I took more photos that you would believe. Looking at them now I am amazed to see the raw feelings of happiness on our faces. My sister's face was full of grace as she hugged her young grand-daughter in sublime joy. I can not show you here how my family looked. It was too personal and so strong. Let me just say that tears of joy were flowing, noses were red from wiping and bodies were smashed in enveloping hugs of love.
Yes, we were all spectacularly blurry with joy.
We had so much love left over we shared it with another soldier who had no one waiting. His family was still in route to the airport so we just swooped him right into ours as we always have room for one more.
After the News Team interviewed WL we all took off to do another thing we all do so well. We filled up the cars and drove over to a restaurant to eat where another brother was waiting.
This would be followed by 2 whirlwind weeks of R&R for our WL and his family. He would have a chance to catch his breath, to hug his family, to eat real eggs, to sit in the Florida sunshine and to thank God.
Our soldier had returned to us the same loving man who left, though touched deeply by the horrors of war he had witnessed.
With his R & R now over, he will be going back to Iraq. That is the hardest part for everyone. He leaves tomorrow and we are feeling that clock ticking, too.
Then we will start our counting all over again until his tour is over sometime next year. I am not sure when WL will be home but we will be here supporting him completely in every way we can. We will send him Thanksgiving cards, Christmas cards, Valentine cards and encouraging letters in between. We will send prayers, love and any kind of yummy food we can.
When WL comes home next time we will most likely all be there with our signs, our cameras, our hearts full of joy.
And then we will go out to eat.
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