My brother is HOME from Afghanistan!

My brother and his wife. – Karen Keller Photography

I don’t even know where to start this post but to say… my brother is HOME!  Praise the Lord for His great protection.

(And thanks for your emails and comments all year in support of him.)

Yesterday, we headed to Rickenbaker Airfield to not only welcome my brother with open arms, but the 240+ service members returning from Afghanistan.

I have always supported our military.  I’ve always been proud of our military.  But it wasn’t until this year that I truly started to grasp the incredible sacrifice these brave men and women take in leaving the comfort of their lives to protect our homes.

Seriously.  My brother was gone over 380 days (minus a few weeks with leave) from his wife, his job, his family and his friends.  He missed out on the first 9 months of my second child’s life.  Birthdays.  Christmas.  Thanksgiving.  That all happened this year, and he was literally on the other side of the world.

And my brother would tell you that he was proud to serve.

I didn’t really know how to write this post because to be honest I’m still processing yesterday.  It was a day filled with anticipation and excitement to see my brother.  At the same time, I was completely overwhelmed by the true magnitude of emotion displayed on the faces of every service member and their family at the moment of reunion.

Karen Keller Photography

All I can really put together is that we are one lucky country to have these men and women beside us.   And I hope I don’t ever  take one minute of freedom for granted.

(If you’d like to see more pictures of yesterday, you can head over to the Dayton Daily News website.)