Kelli and I stealthily peered through the small round window of the kitchen door & into the main dining room, awaiting the appearance of one very special person. We ducked down as we saw them all enter the room, and then as soon as they were seated, we quickly came out from our hiding places. “Would you like some chips and salsa?” my sister asked sweetly as we set our trays down on the table...
He did a double-take, then a triple-take, and then, after about 5 full seconds of looking back and forth between us, it finally started to sink in. A huge grin spread across his face, happiness mixed with a little hint of confusion, and in an instant, he stood up to wrap us up in a big bear hug.
My little brother is home from Iraq! He just arrived yesterday, and although Kelli and I weren’t able to be there when he arrived, we knew we wanted to fly out to Texas to surprise him with a little visit. It is SO wonderful to have Tim back in the US after serving in Iraq for over a year. After an awesome dinner (which we enjoyed with the wonderful owners of Petra’s- thanks, guys!), we headed back to our parents’ cozy house to spend some time together as a family. We all sat around the living room, listening to stories from Iraq, talking, laughing, joking... and all the while relishing the fact that we were finally all together as a family again. For me, the highlight of the evening was when my dad prayed with all of us- I have to admit that amidst all of the smiling and laughing, I’ve had to swallow back a huge lump in my throat several times tonight (I never knew it would be such an emotional day!). We love you, Tim-Bob! It’s so good to have you home!
my mom left a little Christmas tree in the corner of the living room while Tim was over in Iraq... but now that he's home, I guess we can take it down... :) 
1 comment:
awesome post! what a blessing to have him safely return home! brings back memories.
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