THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS...

I just watched the video of the reunions of Laura Ling and Euna Lee with their families and have found myself gripped with emotion. Why? Why did my viewing of these two women hugging and kissing their spouses/significant others, children, mothers, fathers, siblings illicit such emotion from me?

While watching the video I found myself drawn back to, what I thought, was a simpler time but in the light of day perhaps that "simpler time" wasn't so simple.

I'm sitting in my 7th grade Social Studies class in a north Georgia middle-school. I'm younger than ALL of my classmates - some by almost a full year - but that didn't matter - I was also the tallest girl in school - skinny, looked like a boy flat-chested - but tall. Being from a small north Georgia town - heck being from ANYWHERE in Georgia at this time was a great thing! Why? Jimmy Carter was THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!!!! We thought we had arrived because someone with roots deeply buried in the red clay of Georgia was the most powerful man in the free world (not forgetting that President Carter was from Plains, GA and the red clay....not so much down there).

Anyway, I'm sitting in Social Studies and we had just received the "State Approved" television set that was going to broadcast special news programs specifically set-up for middle school Social Studies classes because....JIMMY CARTER WAS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!!!! The very first day, the very first newscast was with regard to the Iranian hostages that had been taken, more accurately it concerned the failed rescue mission "Operation Eagle Claw". Our President, Mr. Carter himself, had approved the use of military force and it had failed, miserably, resulting in the deaths of eight of our military personnel. They wouldn't be coming home again.

The lives of 28 pre-teen/early teenage boys and girls was forever changed. Suddenly we had been forced to deal with the fact that not everyone LOVED the United State of America. Along with that came the realization that these same people were not afraid to go to severe lengths to express their disdain and hatred of my homeland.

I think I caught my breath that day and, without realizing, had been holding it deep inside until today - today when I saw freedom regained and arms holding the ones they held dearest.

Does this mean that for the past 30 years I've been sitting around waiting for the other proverbial "shoe to fall"? No. Life got back to normal - there were dates and stolen kisses and butterfly's in my stomach when he held my hand for the first time. There sitting up all night with my best friends and watching fireworks on the 4th of July with my cousins and eating homemade ice cream and praying for snow in the winter - all quite normal. But today, August 5th, 2009 I felt something inside let loose when I saw a mother drop to her knees to hold her child and I saw a child wrap her mother in her arms and not let go for a long, long time.

Hold those you love close tonight - tell them how you feel about them - don't let another opportunity pass to let someone know just how special they are to you and remember, freedom isn't free at all - great prices have been paid for it all thoughout history.

If you haven't had the opportunity to view the video I urge you to do so - simply go to CNN.com and it is there.




SONGLIST FOR THE DAY:

"How Great Is Our God" - Chris Tomlin on "Arriving" Sparrow Records