noteworthy...

i don't think i have ever posted twice in one day, but this day is definitely noteworthy.
nick received this in the mail today...

that's right ladies and gentlemen, my Captain, Field Artillery branch, US Army has been honorably discharged and can no longer be called for service.

i am so relieved i cried.  the possibility for him to be recalled was small, but every time we got something in the mail from the Department of Defense my heart would sink.  nobody really knows what it's like until you're there... the moment that your husband gets orders. not something i ever want to go through again.  every time we would get an envelope i would hold my breath, praying that it was only a form letter.  some thought it was silly and didn't understand why i would get so anxious, but until you've lived in that moment and are told that your husband is leaving, is going to be put in harm's way, you will never understand.  it was as if the emotions from the day he was given orders came back to me every time i saw that return address.  that is why today is noteworthy.  those envelopes no longer hold the threat of containing life changing information. they are just form letters.

having said that, there are two sides to this story.  the other is that this is the end of a chapter.  a chapter that nick put his heart and every bit of effort into for years.  it started much before his entering into West Point in late June of 1996, but that is when the real work began.  for four years he studied, marched and trained (and even painted some railings) at one of the best schools in the country.  then to active duty and the daily task of training and protecting this country.  waking in the very early hours to train alongside other men who, like him, had a selfless desire to defend our freedom.  he never had a 9-5 job or a regular work week.  he went where and when he was needed and he never once complained.  not even in the wee, dark hours of april 3, 2003 when emily, virgil and i left him in the parking lot of his office when it was time for him to deploy.  he was only worried about emily and i and his men.  never once did he second guess his decision to join the army.  when he came back as the rear-detachment commander he treated his soldiers families as if they were his own, listening to them and helping them in any way that they needed. 

i am so proud of nick for his service and i am thankful for the experiences and opportunities that the army brought our lives.

"Honest and Faithful".  i couldn't have said it better myself.

a