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What does Christmas mean to me? Sharing it with family. Simple and homemade gifts mean the most to me, but even without those just spending it with family is everything.
You see, in the winter of 1993/1994 (last century) I was
attached to the United Nations and deployed half a world away to
Croatia. I didn't spend it with my family, I didn't spend it with my
new family.
I slept in a small section of a tent at the end of an airport
runway. Where when the heater worked it drove you out and stank of
diesel exhaust, and when it failed (weekly) we froze, during the largest
recorded snowfall in modern history for the area. Gunshots fired over
camp to commemorate Christmas and New Years rather than safer fireworks.
I missed my first anniversary, first Christmas with my first
son, New Years, and his first birthday. I was in a land, doing my job,
helping people that really didn't want us there in the first place. I
did it because it was my job and I swore an oath.
Now, we did our best to celebrate together, all US military
branches. French, Swedes, others, even Russians. Yes, the cold war was
suddenly over and we found ourselves shoulder to shoulder, working
together. It was a unique and touching time, but it was still away from
my familes, so it was also cold, dark, and sad.
I spent a lot of holidays away, and thats why they mean so
much to me now. As hard as it can be a times to be with your family,
life is too short to not embrace the chances we get to be together. Be
the magic, make those memories and cherish the time you have with them
because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed.
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This issue appears in the ezine at www.pencilstubs.com and also in the
blog www.pencilstubs.net with the capability of adding comments at the
latter.
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