DogTags

He ships out tomorrow and even though I know he will be perfectly fine, I can't help but worry. I put my hands against his chest and felt the chain that lie beneath his t-shirt and a spot somewhere inside me went cold. I pulled the chain out from under the shirt and turned the dogtags over and over in my hands. It seemed so very real all of the sudden. Even though this trip has been planned for a long time, it isn't his first trip and it won't be his last trip, I still get scared every time he goes and stay that way until I see with my own eyes that he is home, whole and safe.

I must have asked him a million times if he is going to be okay and he could tell me a million and one times and it would still not be enough. The fact is he is going away to war and no matter where he is on the base, he is still at war. Holding those dogtags in my hands brought the whole reality of it crashing down. He is the closest I have ever been to "war". Never, in any lifetime, have I been exposed to its horrors or its fallout.

Please, God, bring him home safely. Bring them all home safely, but please be sure to bring him home safely.

"The light of God surrounds you,
"The love of God enfolds you,
"The power of God protects you,
"The presence of God watches over you.
"Wherever you are, God is, and all is well."
(Unity Prayer for Protection)