Home and the Fourth of July

We are home from our wonderful trip to Europe and back in the USA! This Fourth of July holds extra meaning as we reflect upon the blessings of living in this great country and being home in Provo. We are loving being able to eat our own foods, sleep in our own beds, and see our dear friends and family once again. We love the flowers blooming everywhere in our courtyard and seeing the pool house take shape. We love access to friends without worrying about what a phone call costs overseas. We are thankful for a dryer that dries even the heaviest of items in a short time without wrinkles set in. We love ice in our drinks and water that's free instead of 7 euros a bottle!

But most of all we love our freedom---something that has taken on new meaning as we learned about and explored the Normandy beaches of France and D-Day. One can not stand at the American Cemetery and not feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and reverence for the lives of these brave young men---most just a few years older than my son Josh. I think of how scared and terrifying it must have been for them as they boarded the landing crafts and knew that their chances for dying were so high. I think about their mothers and fathers and how they must have mourned---not only for the loss of their son, but for the loss of his future---his potential for growth, marriage, and children that was now gone. I think of my blessings because of their sacrifice and how my children have not had to go to war and I am profoundly thankful and grateful for all those 1000's of young men who gave their lives for people they didn't even know.
Truly, we are in their debt. We can repay a small portion of this debt by remembering them and all who have served and by living in such a way as to bless those around us and our nation.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

A New Perspective

It has been a week since I had my carry-on bag stolen in the Paris Gare du Nord train station. I knew immediately when I didn't see the bag that that was what had happened. I think the most troubling thing for me was not what I had lost (some things of great personal value to me) but that someone would calculatingly hurt someone else. Call me naive---I knew thieves were out there---I just never thought something like this would really happen. After two emotional days, I could begin to look at this loss with some perspective. The fact that we had just been to the D-day beaches and the American Cemetery in Normandy the day before, had me thinking about the loss suffered by the families of these soldiers. I knew my hurt---it was infinitesmally small compared to theirs---what must they have felt? Then, as the week has gone by, and I have reflected on other kinds of loss---so much of it not caused by the innocent person who is suffering---I marvel at how they carry on and forgive and choose to make their life good even when it is painfully difficult. While I wish my bag had never been stolen, it has given me a new perspective on loss and appreciation for the courage all around me of loved ones and friends and how they deal with the challenges of life. As Elfaba says in "Wicked", "I have been changed for the better."