Dave is out in the field, as he has been most of the weekends that we have been here in Hawaii. It is a lot nicer now that I have the house and am no longer stuck in the hotel all the time while he is at work. We decided to have a fun day that started at 630 am since we had to take Dave to work. We made homemade caramel rolls for breakfast, washed the car, took showers and baths, waited for the moving guys to come and remove the rest of the boxes from the yard, went to the PX and got a gift for a friends kid, got Dallas' haircut, and I took them to a birthday party of a family we hadn't met yet. It was a nice long, hectic day.
While I was at the party, I got a phone call, that made the whole day change, but made me happy to have spent it with my kids, watching them have fun all day. I miss my job there and all the kids and the students. There was an accident with one of the students that I had this year in 6th grade. He didn't make it and passed away. It was so sad, and is still hard to believe that it is real. This boy was always in a little bit of trouble, but it was believed that it was because he was so close to his dad, and his dad was deployed and finally made it home around the time that I moved here, just a couple months ago. He loved his dad and it showed each day. His binder for school had photos taped all over it of his dad and him. Memories that they made, and things that his dad did in the army. When him and I were walking somewhere in the school, or working on a project, he often got distracted and didn't really want to talk about a lot of things. Until you asked about his dad and his binder. He always had a story about his dad and his face lit up when you asked him. He was a bit of a jokster, and usually had a smile on his face. I can still see that little smile of his. Weather it was a joking smile or a fun loving smile. He is most certainly of the kids that makes an impression on you.
He will be missed dearly. My heart hurts for the fact that I can not be there with the people that it know are hurting as I am hurting. I know that the kids are all going to miss him dearly. I know that the teacher that I worked with knew him as more than a student and his family was friends with theirs. It is most certainly a tragedy. How having family fun can change in the blink of an eye. How a little life can end right in front of their parents. You just never know when your last day is. You don't know when god will call those you love home. How horrific it must have been for the family to have to watch all this unfold on a little family trip. They left for the weekend thinking that they were all returning on Sunday, and now they have to go home with one less child. No matter what, no parent should have to bury their child.
Sometimes this army life is crazy, and there is nothing you can do. When things like this happen to the people that you love, when they are hurting and there is nothing you can do about it. You can not always control where you go in the military, and you can't take all those people that you love with you when you do have to leave places. You don't get to see family all the time, and when things like this happen it sucks even more when your husband is at work. I know that some people have spouses that have gone on an overnight trip or sometimes come home late from work. It is not at all the same. I used to be one of those spouses. You say you understand, but in my head a giggle, because you have no idea. Right now, I can hear my husbands unit out there firing weapons. My windows are shaking. There out there training for war with very deadly weapons. Things can happen at any time. Some people will never understand. I feel for this family, and pray for their strength to get through all this.
I am glad to say that I spent the day with my kids and they are in bed safe and sound. For some reason, I feel guilty about it, because there is a family that is dealing with something very difficult tonight. Hold those you love very very close. Know that this could be your last day, or the last thing you say to someone you love. Make sure they know that you love them and are there for them. Make sure you laugh and smile all day. Make an impression on people, and be there for them when you can. You just never know.
