We have been on a long journey 'up the mountain' together. We have learned much, seen much and felt many emotional moments. We have laughed together, cried together, worried together, prayed together and simply sat together while saying nothing.

It has not been an easy journey up-the-mountainside. We have felt the helplessness of physical loss and the accompanying emotional and mental anguish. We have experienced an all comsuming pain that will forever be with us, some more than others. We have paused in our journey and stood by the wife and family of our fallen heroes and we remembered the moments of our soldier's life but, at the end of the day, we continued our journey with the family of our heroes still at our side. We continue to have an obligation to offer a hand of support to those who have given the most and this I know we will do. We have experienced overwhelming stress, our bodies have felt worn and exhausted, at times our minds have felt numb. We have gone from one extreme to the other - the heat of our love for our soldiers - the flame of our passion for our beloved country but also the bone-chilling cold of loneliness, fear and anxiety.

Our soldiers have had their own (although different than ours) mountain to climb. They have had their own life-changing experiences. But they too are on the downward side.

Mountaintop experiences are wonderful. It's as though we have stood on top of the world. But mountaintop experiences are usually short-lived. Now we are on the downward trek. The exhiliration of reaching the summit is beginning to wear off and our bodies are physically tired, our emotions are again at the surface. Now is the time to be careful. Do not trip over an unforseen stone that is suddenly in your pathway. Keep your eyes on the Guide, focus your heart on finishing the journey amd don't be afraid to reach for the hand of your fellow mountain-climber. If we aren't careful, we start planning our homecoming and lose sight of the journey yet to travel. We are then in danger of taking a fall. When you have time and have found a ledge to sit for awhile, let your mind begin to plan for the coming event but keep in mind that we have a few miles yet to travel. It's also possible that we may see something in the distance, something colorful and seemingly innocent. But we need to remember that straying from the pathway can leave us lost and vulnerable.

We will reach home again - together. We will be changed forever from who we were when we started this journey, our experiences have toughened us and we will no longer be the person that we were when we began. Those who were climbing their own mountain (our soldiers) will be changed also. Stay strong and supportive of each other. Then when we reunite with those who were climbing the other mountain - our soldiers, we can use our combined experiences to build an even stronger relationship through effective communication and a lot of patience - peppered with a heart full of love and commitment.

Lots of love and respect to all my heroes,
MJ
June 25, 2005