Marine Corps Community

One person or event or circumstance invites new people to cross our paths every day. I think it's one way God creates community in His world. It may be a friend of a friend, a family member, the workplace, school, marriage, hospital, church or geographical setting. But, nonetheless, people are coming & going all the time in & out of our lives.

Of course, we all know hundreds of people who've been "brought in" through these varying circumstances & I guess that's one reason people intrigue me so much! When I cross paths in life with someone, I love knowing about their lives, where they grew up, what made them choose their current path in life, details about their families & their belief systems.

I want to write about one group of people who've literally been thrown into our lives these last 2 1/2 years because of Taylor & Tyrel. It's men & families of the Marine Corps. There's a group of young men (most single & a few who are married) who've entered our lives simply because they're in T&T's lives. We love these guys & pray for them constantly. We cooked a huge Thanksgiving dinner for 6 of them last year who weren't able to go "home" for the holiday. Mike fried 3 big turkeys & Taylor & I peeled stacks of potatoes, made a boatload of dressing & baked lots & lots of pies for this group of Troops. There aren't many occupations that can take your life when you show up for work, like the military, so it's a whole new world to Mike & me. We appreciate our son-in-law & daughter's sacrifice for this country & for this group of people we've met because of it.

This last month I was unable to discuss an event due to privacy & security until now. It's close to my heart & so I share it now so anyone who wants, can join me in prayer for all military but especially for this group of men.

One dear friend, TW, came by Tyrel & Taylor's house when I was there (Super Bowl Sunday) in February & watched the game. It was the next day the California doctor discovered my cancer was back in full force. I flew back to Texas that next day, so the group of guys have kept up with my health issues through T&T. Later that month, TW was deployed to Afghanistan. I've prayed for him every day since he left & am glad to say he is a strong believer & has prayed for me, too.

Several weeks ago, he & 3 other Troops were sweeping a building & as they were leaving, an IED exploded. TW suffered many injuries, but is alive. Punctured lung, lots of shrapnel, loss of feeling & function of limbs, etc, etc. This is not some made up person or story on the news. This is a friend & young man serving our country. He is a triplet with siblings & parents who love him. This is our friend.

Several surgeries needed asap in Afghanistan, moved to Germany for more surgery & as soon as he was stable, sent on to Bethesda. He'll be sent home to recover for a time. I pray for him every day as I take military names to our God. I'm thankful he will live & physical therapy will help aid his healing. I pray full function of his physical body & continued spiritual health always. I'm confident God is with him.

So, on a day that's not going that great, I think of TW. I think of TJ & TJ, SN, ZG, DP, BC & JC, ME & SE, LB & AB. I pray for this group, in particular, as they face an upcoming deployment. I pray for them because they're real people with real families. I pray for them because war doesn't make sense. I pray for God's protection & wisdom as they negotiate a very sobering lifestyle.

I think God threw this group of people into my life because their bravery encourages me. I can do a lot of hard things because they do hard things. My love & concern for them keeps me on my knees & that's a good thing!

So, TW, continue to get better. Continue to rest & take care. Continue to pray to our God who cares for you so!

I'll continue to be thankful for all the people thrown into my life. All the people God has put in my community. All the people He's chosen to cross paths with mine.

Blessings!