Sunday, December 20, 2009

Sunday Faith Blog

A Soldier's Request at Christmas.........and always

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said, "It's really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram I'll always remember."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile."
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother...
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least, "Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast? It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son." Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long. For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.



LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

Please pray for LCDR Giles and his family...and ALL our soldiers who aren't enjoying being around the tree with their families like most of you will be in a few days. God bless every single one of them......they've got to keep their faith in US because it's not they who're letting us down.

Merry Christmas .. Z

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks Z, for this post. It's beautiful, and so right and true.

Christmas blessings to those brave soldiers who stand guard on that line.

God bless and keep them.

Pris
PS. I will pass this on.

Anonymous said...

Fantastic, Z ...

Thank you for this post.

Semper Fi

Mustang

Anonymous said...

Tried to leave a comment, Z, but I got something that said "conflicting edit". Blogger is a real pain.

I liked the poem!

Z said...

Hermit, leave another comment!! Sorry about that. I was doing some toying of and deleting of another post I'm readying for Christmas while you must have been trying to comment; i wonder if that got you messed up?

Glad you liked this, too, Pris and Mustang xxx

Mona said...

If you are a knitter, please carry your love and support for the troops one step more and knit a helmet liner for a soldier. It's quick, easy and can make a real difference for a man or woman who needs to feel your support.
http://knitting.about.com/od/hatpatterns/a/helmetliner.htm

Bloviating Zeppelin said...

It is precisely our WARRIORS that allow us to sleep soundly and undisturbed in our beds at night.

Tonight.

Safe. Free. Undisturbed.

God bless the American Soldier.

God bless America.

BZ

David Wyatt said...

Praise God, Z! Reminds me ofhow our blessed Lord stands watch over our souls keeping us safe from the enemy of our souls (Col.2:13-15)

I pray for these dear men & women who protect us voluntarily. Genuine heroes, all.

RightKlik said...

Thanks for the post, Z.

Your blog is a blessing.

Merry Christmas.

Z said...

Rk, that is the nicest thing anybody's ever said about my blog..

thanks so much. Merry Christmas to you, too, my friend.

Bramblemoon Farm said...

What a wonderful post. Thank you:)