DNA Diaries

I want to make sure this morning that I pay tribute to all the men and women from all the wars who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Freedom is not won without bloodshed and the fact that their blood was shed is worth a few moments of my time to honor their memory.

The only way I can think of to do this is to write about the men who've touched my life. These are the men who were fortunate enough to come home. I'd like to start with Henry.

Henry was my second step father who fought and lost his only brother in the Korean war. He was by far the most stable thing in my life. Although I begged my mother not to marry him I am glad she didn't listen. He truly has left his mark on my heart and my soul. There are many times I repeat either out loud or to myself his shared words of wisdom. My favorite being " If you have to have an answer right now then the answer is NO!" I have seen his face and used this line more times than I can count. Thank You Henry for giving me stability, insight, and some great one liners.

Walt was not a physical casualty from Vietnam but he returned a casualty none the less. He was one of my best friends. Voted class clown, he was the funniest person I had ever met. No one could ever make me laugh the way Walt could. He was extremely intelligent and was my first exposure to dark humor which I have a passion for. He was my protector before he went to war. He took me under his wing and showed me nothing but love, protection and respect. Thank You Walt for all the love, security, and laughter when I needed it most.

Jim was the man who taught me how to be a woman. Although I did not know him before he went to Vietnam, when I met him I felt like I was home. This man taught me all about love. He taught me to give love, receive love, make love and how to hold someone forever in your heart. He also gave me my first child, my daughter Rachael. Although we agreed not to keep her, she was our forever link to one another. Our lives took very similar paths after we lost touch with one another. We both had intimacy issues with others. We both self medicated over our losses. We both regretted the decision we had made in regard to our daughter. We both remained single, me for 30 years, he forever. I finally had children twenty years after Rachael was born, Jim remains the father of one child to this day. A reunion late last year between Rachael, Jim and myself proved to be the single most healing moment in all of our lives. In my honest opinion this man saved my life. His passion, compassion, understanding and unconditional love for me gave me a foundation to build my life on. It took me years to put it into perspective but the ground work was laid by him.

My husband Rene, who worries about nothing, has been my rock. He is a Veteran of Desert Storm. I sent him away shortly after meeting him because of our age difference. Three months later he was back, and has been my saviour ever since. No one has off set me more perfectly. He has taught me not to worry over things you have no control over. Which has been a huge revelation for me. He has shown me that love has no boundaries. He continues to show me how self control, self discipline, and self respect dictate how others see and value you as a person. Despite his age, he has proven to be an excellent father figure to my 2 teen age boys. Thank You Rene for not listening to me when I sent you away. Thank you for loving me and my boys.

I have had many people come and go throughout my life. The ones who touched me the most have all been soldiers. Soldiers who had the good fortune to return home from war. Return by the grace of God and the shed blood of others.

Thank You to all the soldiers from all the wars that have made it possible for me to have been so blessed by the men who came home.

Lori A