Greetings Dear Reader,
The world is in turmoil.
We are still on a war footing in the Middle East. Antarctica may be the only continent where
there is not rampant violence. In this
country our ability to disagree rationally is eroding daily.
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| Photo by Kelly Barry |
We talk about the impact of all this and how to make a difference. We ask how we can impact the world in a way that
will last. It seems that the
difficulties are too great for us assail.
Faith erodes and hope is thin.
Hope seems thinnest in the places where our minds and hearts are filled
with pain and loss. I have several veteran
friends who have expressed this.
About a year ago I was at a coffee shop writing. I had my “feel free to share my table” sign
up because the coffee shop was busy and I wanted to respect the needs of the
owner. I was brain-deep in the novel I
was writing and did not notice the young man who approached me.
Clearing his throat to get my attention, he asked as I
looked up, “Is it OK if I sit here sir?”
It was the way he said “sir” that caught my attention. Smiling broadly, I told him he was welcome to
join me. He quietly put down his coffee
cup and took a seat opposite me.
We introduced ourselves and I asked if he wanted to talk or
just enjoy his breakfast. He responded, “I
don’t want to bother you sir. I just did
not want to sit by myself.” It was that “sir”
again that caught my attention. It had a
professional timbre rather than a submissive or timid quality.
On a hunch I asked him, “Are you a veteran?”
“Yes sir,” he replied.
I asked then what I always ask. It is an easy question for veterans to answer
and it opens the door for conversation if they wish it. I asked, “What was your job in the military?”
He told me that he was in the Army and what he did. I leave it out here because it might be
enough information to violate his privacy.
It was, however, the right question.
He immediately began to talk. I
was honored to listen and get to know a man who seemed to have little to show
for his risk and sacrifice for my freedom.
Since his return from the desert and discharge he has been one of the
walking wounded.
He spoke honestly, not dramatically or emotionally of his
struggles. He has trouble socially and
keeping a job. He told me that he did not
feel his problems mattered because he had no physical wounds. He was in a vehicle destroyed by an IED. The other three people in it were
killed. He did not get a scratch. He felt guilty for being alive.
I just listened. I
will not begin to think for a moment that I am equipped to help him out of so
much pain. When he grew tired of talking,
I told him that I only had one answer and that I realized he was not asking me
for one. He looked at me and said, “you
are going to tell me about Jesus, aren’t you?”
I smiled again and said, “Not if I do not need to.” He smiled back and said that he was running
out of hope and just wanted someone to listen.
He said that I did that. He explained
that during the conversation he had decided that he needed to go to the VA and
get some help. I gave him my number and
asked if he would just text me when he got there so I would not worry about
him. We both knew he could lie.
I have heard from him a couple of times since then. I am grateful for him and everyone who has
risked being brought home under a flag so that I could have the choice of whether
or not to honor that flag. Thank you to
those who have served and risked all so that we can choose how we live. I think to honor them we had best find ways
to make choices that care for each other in a better way.
I did little in this gratitude story. I am thankful Dear Reader that I was allowed
to listen to a man who was looking for hope.
Do something today to show your gratitude to our veterans. You could do something every day if you
tried.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
Support Page on
Patreon: www.patreon.com/aramisthorn
Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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