He Came Home

By Jan Cline

"To You, O Lord,
I lift up my
soul. O my God,
I trust in You;
Let me not be
ashamed; Let not
my enemies
triumph over me."
Psalm 25:1-2

ran across a CD of photos the other day. As I slipped the disc into my computer, I was surprised to see that they were pictures and videos my son in law had taken while in Iraq. I wasn’t sure what I would be looking at, and was hoping I wouldn’t be intruding to view them. Most of the pictures were of the country side; a dry terrain, treeless and boring, with very little shade to offer shelter from the heat.

As I finished looking at the pictures, I thought back to all the emails we had received from Jesse while he was deployed. In the beginning, the communication was meant for his family and close friends, keeping us as informed as the Army would allow. His messages were very well written and often filled with witty stories or interesting facts about the people and culture. He withheld all the information he knew would worry his loved ones, and was always upbeat in his choice of words.

Our friends and extended family would ask about him regularly, and we would share a bit of the updates as they came. After a while, there were many requests for us to forward his emails. It didn’t take long for the word to spread, and soon Jesse’s messages were linked all over the world. His writing talent and personal touch kept everyone waiting with anticipation for the next email to come. We would all laugh and cry as we read. Jesse knew that people were following him and sending out prayers, but none of us really knew how many lives were touched by him. Many folks he had never met would email him with messages of encouragement and appreciation. Even now, several years later, I occasionally have someone comment on how much they enjoyed hearing from him.

As I continued to view the CD, I opened up files that were videos he had taken of the area. There were several sequences of moving views out of a chopper door where all you could hear were the loud sounds of the whirling rotor blades. Then there was a guided tour of his quarters, narrated by him. The last videos took me by surprise and gripped my heart. They were videos of Jesse reading a story out of a children’s book for his daughter Abby. He talked to her just as if she was there, and read all her favorite stories that he read to her at home – Good Night Moon and Mrs. Spider’s Tea Party. My eyes filled with tears as I thought about how he must have missed his little one. This was his way of keeping her memory of him fresh, and also enable him to feel that he was parenting her, even from far away. Abby loved watching the videos, and would point at the screen and say “Daddy”.

He kept in close contact, but there were times when she would not have any message from him for several days. He finally explained that all communications were cut off when a soldier was killed so there would be no premature news leaks to the family of the deceased. After learning that, each time we lost contact, there was that small bit of

doubt, but we knew God was in control. Jesse was always faithful to give glory and honor to Jesus for protection and grace during those difficult months.

Time seemed to drag on, but at last it was over – for our family at least. I am so thankful that we all had a happy ending to his deployment. He made it home safely, coming home to a daughter that recognized him and reached for him almost immediately. He came home to once again hold her in his arms and read her all the books she loved. He came home to a family that loved him and appreciated his sacrifice. He came home to have another little girl. All those who followed him will forever cherish the emails that, for a few moments each week, took us outside of ourselves and to a land far away. His encouragement to trust God with all things spoke to all of us.

God bless America and all those who keep us free by their sacrifice.