Letters from Vietnam

Last weekend my daughter Madison and I were sorting through mounds of pictures I have of my family. My two older children will be graduating next May, and we needed pictures for their yearbook. As I pulled down one of the many boxes from my bedroom closet, I noticed a stack of letters I didn't recognize, held in a quart-sized ziploc bag. There must have been about 50 or so. Glancing at the address and postmarked date on the front of the first letter, I realized that these were letters my grandmother had received from my father while he was on his first and second tours in Vietnam with the Army.

I have no idea how I have these letters. I don't remember my grandmother giving them to me before she died, and I've never read them before. I don't have hardly anything from my dad. He passed away when I was 16 years old. Needless to say, I held the stack of treasures to my heart and absolutely wept.

This morning I spent the first two hours sitting in bed reading slowly through every word he wrote. There are things in these letters I never knew about my dad...like he planned to be a Minister of Music one day. He loved taking pictures, and would send my grandmother slides of all the places he would go. How I wish I had those slides! And at one point, he was finally forced to engage the enemy. He must have received a medal for this experience, and these were his thoughts on the matter:

"Mom, about the medals and all that riff-raff. For my own part, I don't want any. All they are good for is to wear on your dress uniform and have some yo-yo come up and ask what they are and how you got them. I know what I have done and I hope someday to forget. I'm sure not proud of what is done in order to get a piece of tin for your chest. Most people at home don't understand what war is all about. They don't know how it is to be made into a human "god" with power over life and death. Or to sometimes see a helicopter with friends of yours start taking rounds and finally to go down in an inaccessible place and finally to know that there's nothing in your power to help them - except pray. No, Mom, I'm not a hero because I have a heart and a conscience. Heroes have only ice-water where blood should be."

There are stories he held in his heart that tormented him severely when he would sleep at night. But again and again he would say that it was worth it. He was protecting his family back home...protecting the freedoms we enjoy and often take for granted. We owe them so much.

Today our country is celebrating Veteran's Day. I can't tell you how proud I am of the men in my family who have served this fine country, and the women who have faithfully stood behind them. When I look at our flag, it is a constant reminder of the blood, sweat and tears our men and women of the armed forces have committed to seeing her continue to fly for the next generation.

Please join me in honoring our veterans today...and every day.

Broken, or Covered?

Recently, my husband and I were left without kids on a beautiful Saturday morning, so we took full advantage of the situation and went out for a breakfast date. (With three kids, you have to steal time when you can.) After looking over the menu, we placed our order and began to catch up on life. With a cup of hot coffee in my hands, I settled into the conversation and relished each interruption-free moment with my man. But God had a different plan on His agenda that morning, as He often does.

I had a direct view of the kitchen from where I was sitting, and the waiters and waitresses were constantly going back and forth to place or retrieve customer orders. It's pretty fast-paced. One waitress didn't quite make it fully out the door of the kitchen when she lost her footing and fell - several orders on her tray falling along with her. Plates crashed to the ground and shattered. Quickly getting up from the floor, she ran back into the kitchen. Immediately, four other waitresses grabbed dust pans and brooms and began to clean up the mess. I don't think I've ever seen a team move so fast.

They covered for her.

This poor waitress was probably completely humiliated, shaken, and probably beat herself up for not being more careful. She knew orders had to be prepared again, and her customers would probably be upset. We later found out that she was being taken to the doctor to have stitches for a large gash to her hand. She'd had a rough day already, and it wasn't even 9:30 in the morning!

As I sat there watching the clean-up process it occurred to me that I was watching love in action. Actually, the phrase that jumped to my heart was "love covers".

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sin." 1 Peter 4:8

Love covers!

It's a simple concept really. When those around us miss the mark, we cover them. We extend grace and mercy to them. We restore them. Sometimes we as the Body of Christ forget that's our mission. We are to co-labor with Christ to restore the people He loves back to His heart. Not through condemnation, but through love and a demonstration of God's goodness. We quickly clean up after one another, and if we need a doctor, or stitches, we drive them to the hospital. We don't kick them while they're down, gossip about them behind their back, or hold them under condemnation "until they get their act together"...whatever that means.

Jesus said something very sobering to the religious establishment of His day. They dressed the part, acted the part, but were completely devoid of love. Jesus' response?

"I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." Matthew 21:32

We've all seen situations where someone has fallen into sin, and the most brutal beatings often come from those who are supposed to protect us...those who are called "family". It is unfortunate. It was convicting to me to see how quickly the other waitresses covered for their co-worker this morning. If we as the Body of Christ restored others as quickly, wouldn't more people outside of our doors want to come in? Love covers...but it also draws hearts to the Father. We are to be known for our love.

I pray that we as a Body will become like that little group of waitresses this morning. No hesitation, and quick clean-up. We've got tables of our own to wait, you know? There are people starving out there for the love of God.