I have to say this has been a VERY different Christmas! We weren't with my family as we typically are, and we weren't with all four of our children. We spent today with our oldest son because he's in the final days of basic training and was only allowed a town pass if we came to visit. I spent a good part of Christmas Eve asking the Lord what I should do and the answer finally came when both the twins told me on separate occasions that they didn't want their brother to be alone on Christmas and were prefectly fine with me going. Dad was already going (we had settled that when we got the first call asking us to come) and at first he didn't want me to leave them, but I think hearing one of them say that changed his mind. We got up at 4 a.m. and hit the road after only three hours of sleep.

After the second of the four-and-a-half hour drive I knew it was important that I was there as my husband was struggling to stay awake and asked me to drive, but when I saw our son walking towards us no one could ever convince me differently that I wasn't where God intended for me to be. He was so excited we both got to come. As tear streamed down my face, and he tried to fight back his, I thought to myself, "How am I ever going to let him go after 3 seconds!" (That's how long you're allowed to hug them.) I guess knowing his dad was waiting to hug him made it somewhat easier...

We had so much fun hearing all about his six weeks here and seeing how he's grown. He smiled with a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment and purpose all day long! At 5:15 this evening we said our good-byes and watched him walk back to his barracks. Kevin turned to see if I was crying and asked me if I was OK. I assured him I was...until Sunday when we will say good-bye with the uncertainty of when we will see him again. Knowing we have four more days with him makes me extremely happy for now. It was a very special day and a Christmas I will never forget. I'm so thankful that I didn't have to miss it and that the Lord used my other children to speak to my heart and show me again how truly precious they are, so willing to sacrifice their time with us so that their brother wouldn't have to be alone on Christmas.