Departures (2nd in the series...)

It's 9:45 pm and I'm sitting here wondering what I've already posted so I won't repeat myself too much. I think maybe I'll go in chronological order. I think I'll go back in time to a day that almost ripped my heart from my body. My then wife, Yvonne, and our oldest daughter, Kim, and I had set out from home headed to the operations tower at NAS Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Fl. for me to catch a plane to go to the USS Coral Sea. Everyone had boarded the plane but me and I was stretching things out as long as I could. I knew where our orders had us going, but little did I know where I would end up! Remembering that moment in time still makes my heart hurt. I tried and tried to turn and walk away to board the plane, but didn't have a lot of sucess. You see...I knew when I turned and left that I wouldn't see them for a year. That my daughter, Kim, would learn to walk and talk while I was gone. That I would miss at least one birthday. My wife and I just stood as long as we could and held each other. I even considered for a brief moment leaving and going AWOL. (not a good idea, huh?) There were times before I got home that I didn't know if I ever would. Oh well, another time that still brings a bit of pain when I remember it. I'm glad I did finally get on that plane. Now I have not just Kim, but Crissy as well and they are a blessing to me in the truest sence of the word. When I did finally get back home Kim had indeed learned to walk and was indeed speaking in full sentences.
Ok...enough of that. Now for another tip about making it in life to at least 56 years old...... there are three things in life that we should always make a conscious effort to keep in place, To Live, to love and to learn. To have a good life is to bless ourselves and others while building really good memories. To love (ourselves and others) is what makes our lives worth living. Without Love in our lives we can't truly live. To Learn is to always have an interest in God, ourselves and those in our lives. The day we stop learning should be the day we stop living.
Ok....back to work ya'll.....but thank you for taking the time to read this post. It makes me feel special to think that ya'll would take time out of your busy lives and schedules to read what I write and to comment on it. .....and so it went......