There are no words to describe...
What statred out an amazingly wonderful week, turned out to be a horrible one.
Steve and I went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Saturday June 15th and returned at 2:00 am on Thursday, June 2oth. We had a really great time. We got some much needed rest away from work and home. We stayed at a fabulous resort hotel, went deep sea fishing (Steve caught a 150 pound Marlin) , on a Hummer tour through the desert, laid by the pool, walked on the beach, got massages at the spa, and ate some terrific food with some new and old friends.
And then Steve got a phone call from a girl at one of the doctor's offices he calls on. Her name is Dana, and Steve went to her wedding about four months ago. I was not able to attend, so I did not have the pleasure of meeting her or the groom. Her new husband, Staff Sgt. Darren Hubbell, was deployed to Iraq shortly after the wedding. She found out Thursday morning he had been killed while on patrol in Iraq. She called Steve to let him know. The poor girl is devastated. They each have children from previous marriages. And he has a 19-year-old son who is also deployed to Iraq. They were so happy and in love. That night Steve and I prayed and cried for them. We also prayed for our other friends and family who are over there.
Then on Friday morning, I got an email about a dear friend of ours. Army Major Sid Brookshire was also killed on Thursday in Iraq. He and his wife Karin and their two daughters, Faith Ann (5), and Bethany (3), attend our church as well as our homegroup that we host in our home on Sunday nights. Karin is one of my closest friends. Their girls are some of my girls' best friends, and Sid and Steve were becoming good friends before he was deployed about two months ago.
We found out on Tuesday evening that these two men were together in the same vehicle. For some reason, that has made this harder to deal with.
Steve and I are having a hard time dealing with this. We are hurting and we are angry. Most of all, our hearts ache for Karin and those beautiful little girls. This is so not fair! Sid was a great guy. He loved the Lord and his family with all of his heart. He was smart and funny and brave. He was a man others looked up to and aspired to be like. This is a huge loss, and for now we just mourn and pray. We pray for his loved ones to find comfort and peace. And we pray for all of our other men and women over there for their safety and encouragement. Mostly, I pray for this terrible war to be over with and for the Lord to return soon.
I'll leave you with a few words that Sid wrote himself and Karin emailed to us on May 18th. Rest in peace, our dear friend...
Sid Wrote: " What I want you to know and tell our friends and family is that no one is here with their head down kicking a can. Everyone here understands that the job is hard, but not hopeless, and everyone committed to it's accomplishment has their head in the game. When you find someone running their mouth about moral apathy or hopelessness, chances are they have nothing to do with mission accomplishment, nor are they associated with those who do. They tend to be retired to some comfy corner to fester in their own pity or draw power or attention to themselves. That's not us. There is always the pain of loss, and exhaustion which can lead to words of discouragement, fear, anger, frustration etc. and that is normal. But when it passes, what's left is resolve, not surrender. Sometimes talking to folks about the deployment I would tend to get a lot of words of sympathy & fear, to which I would not really add, except to try and give comfort that we know how to take care of ourselves. I hope you know that I believe in this mission for as long as it is mine to accomplish. I hope my folks know that too."
Steve and I went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Saturday June 15th and returned at 2:00 am on Thursday, June 2oth. We had a really great time. We got some much needed rest away from work and home. We stayed at a fabulous resort hotel, went deep sea fishing (Steve caught a 150 pound Marlin) , on a Hummer tour through the desert, laid by the pool, walked on the beach, got massages at the spa, and ate some terrific food with some new and old friends.
And then Steve got a phone call from a girl at one of the doctor's offices he calls on. Her name is Dana, and Steve went to her wedding about four months ago. I was not able to attend, so I did not have the pleasure of meeting her or the groom. Her new husband, Staff Sgt. Darren Hubbell, was deployed to Iraq shortly after the wedding. She found out Thursday morning he had been killed while on patrol in Iraq. She called Steve to let him know. The poor girl is devastated. They each have children from previous marriages. And he has a 19-year-old son who is also deployed to Iraq. They were so happy and in love. That night Steve and I prayed and cried for them. We also prayed for our other friends and family who are over there.
Then on Friday morning, I got an email about a dear friend of ours. Army Major Sid Brookshire was also killed on Thursday in Iraq. He and his wife Karin and their two daughters, Faith Ann (5), and Bethany (3), attend our church as well as our homegroup that we host in our home on Sunday nights. Karin is one of my closest friends. Their girls are some of my girls' best friends, and Sid and Steve were becoming good friends before he was deployed about two months ago.
We found out on Tuesday evening that these two men were together in the same vehicle. For some reason, that has made this harder to deal with.
Steve and I are having a hard time dealing with this. We are hurting and we are angry. Most of all, our hearts ache for Karin and those beautiful little girls. This is so not fair! Sid was a great guy. He loved the Lord and his family with all of his heart. He was smart and funny and brave. He was a man others looked up to and aspired to be like. This is a huge loss, and for now we just mourn and pray. We pray for his loved ones to find comfort and peace. And we pray for all of our other men and women over there for their safety and encouragement. Mostly, I pray for this terrible war to be over with and for the Lord to return soon.
I'll leave you with a few words that Sid wrote himself and Karin emailed to us on May 18th. Rest in peace, our dear friend...
Sid Wrote: " What I want you to know and tell our friends and family is that no one is here with their head down kicking a can. Everyone here understands that the job is hard, but not hopeless, and everyone committed to it's accomplishment has their head in the game. When you find someone running their mouth about moral apathy or hopelessness, chances are they have nothing to do with mission accomplishment, nor are they associated with those who do. They tend to be retired to some comfy corner to fester in their own pity or draw power or attention to themselves. That's not us. There is always the pain of loss, and exhaustion which can lead to words of discouragement, fear, anger, frustration etc. and that is normal. But when it passes, what's left is resolve, not surrender. Sometimes talking to folks about the deployment I would tend to get a lot of words of sympathy & fear, to which I would not really add, except to try and give comfort that we know how to take care of ourselves. I hope you know that I believe in this mission for as long as it is mine to accomplish. I hope my folks know that too."
posted by Amy of the Hill at
6:52 PM
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