I am looking at pictures of my extended family, which, as we live on opposite parts of the country, have raised families that I do not personally know. The Pictures at Paris Island, do however, connect us to that great tradition of sending our sons to serve in the US military.
I see my sisters children's children and see the family resemblance and remember vacation visits when those kids now grown up with grown up kids swam in the pool with floaties on their arms, and the long connection of life gives me the tiniest fleeting glimpse of how God sees people and their children from his prospective.
He knows the world is broken, has been broken for a greater purpose, and knows that some of His children will leave the smiles and pride of Marine training to see some of the most destructive and ugliest parts of humanity at war.
His heart must break like a mothers heart, full of both pride and sadness knowing that our sons have been trained to be the first to hit the shoreline of hostile lands and people. But you know that their are greater purposes going on above it all, the fight for freedom, for human dignity, and so you keep sending them to do their share. I hope to meet that young Marine some day and thank him for serving our country.
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