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The HeliOS Project is now.....
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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Homecoming

This entry has nothing to do with HeliOS or Linux but it's something that is important to me and I wanted to make sure I share it with people.

I have a friend of 22 years who came home safely from Afghanistan yesterday.  He crewed on a C-130 gunship and spent over a year doing so.  Yesterday he came home to a large contingent of friends and relatives.  He has a family of 3 waiting for him, a wife and 2 children, ages 8 and 12.  From what I understand, the airport reunion was touching and there probably wasn't a dry eye in the group when  8 year old Cyndi exclaimed as she ran to him and jumped into his arms:

MY DADDY'S HOME, MY DADDY'S HOME....

Well, unfortunately there wasn't any video shot of the event but there is one video I want to show you.

As I am both a war veteran and someone who has waited for someone to come home from war, I know the feelings that prevail within. Sure you tuck that worry and fear deep inside you and try to go on day to day, but you always keep hope and you always prepare for that day that someone is going to tell you something horrible that will change your life forever.
I know there are a million of these on youtube but this one reunion video between father and daughter is the best one of all of them. She does what has to be the best classic double take of all time and then........

All the fear, all the worry and all the nagging anxiety drop away from her like a mercury overcoat as she sees her dad in her classroom. This precious little girl has her daddy back. You can see the entire range of her emotions in a few split seconds. This is what life is all about. It's about love....it's about keeping the porch light on until someone you are waiting for comes home. And it's about unabashed emotional release when your daddy comes back.
Watch and you will see.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

All the fear, all the worry and all the nagging anxiety drop away from her like a mercury overcoat as she sees her dad in her classroom.

Reference the "mercury overcoat". That has to be the most bizarre yet understandable simile I've ever heard. The mental visualization makes it work. This is one of the lines I have read and wish I had written it.

kozmcrae said...

I couldn't even watch it. Tears welled up before I even finished reading your post Ken.

Unknown said...

Koz...don't worry. I've watched it probably 2 dozen times and it still makes me cry like a little girl. I'm amazed that I haven't "conditioned" myself to this one yet. It still strikes me deep and hard. You really should watch it though....albeit when no one else is around.

That's what I do.