My Truly Touching Night

As mentioned in a previous post, me and the boys decided we wanted to thank some of the soldiers overseas awhile back, so we sent some letters and pictures and such as a thanks. We were not in any way expecting a reply because we know its busy over there and there isn't alot of extra time to do that kind of thing sometimes. But last night we recieved a letter of thank you from a very kind Marine. His letter was 2 1/2 pages in response and he spoke directly to the boys for alot of it. He told Nate about his sword that he wears for ceremonies and talked to him about pirates and such. He told Tyler that it does get kind of scary over there sometimes but he is there because he wants to protect him and our family and keep the bad guys away from us. He even wrote to Ryder, telling him he thought he was a cool kid and to make sure hes good for his momma. He made sure to say that our writing was not insignificant and that these letters are what keeps him and his guys going, making horrible days alot better. He also invited us to write back if we would like. I was soo appreciative of the response because it shows the boys that even small things can make such a difference in someones life.

My touching moment came at bedtime though. The letter was moving to read, but the simplicity and innocence of a childs prayer is what got me. It made me tear up actually. It was Tylers turn to say bedtime prayers and after his normal ranting he added in "oh and Heavenly Father, please watch over our new friend and the soldiers who are protecting us. They don't have anyone to protect them and I want you to put a big protective shield around them all to keep the bad guys away. I want them to be able to come home again."