Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Day 26. A picture of something that means a lot to you.

I have come to realise, whilst trying to sort through a few thoughts for these posts, that I am not a "things" person in most respects.




But some things are beyond words.

This isn't just a picture of Rich's name in The Book of Remembrance, this is a picture of the respect that the RAF had for someone who wasn't killed in action, wasn't a high-ranking officer, wasn't anything outstanding, but he *was* RAF family. That matters. Lori said she would tell BG that he was a "monkey in a suit". Clearly, he was, and is, and will forever be, more than that. She just didn't get it. This picture means so much because I got it, AC got it, my parents got it, the Padre got it, the armourers got it, every woman who has waved her man off to the Afghan gets it, but she doesn't. She may have the medal, but she doesn't get the ideas and love and respect and Family that is behind it. Deep inside, I don't think she even deserves the medal. She didn't want it anyway.

But this picture, means a lot. Its not a thing that I because this isn't about possessions, or who wins the argument. Its about morals, and what is right, and what the very nature of love is. We get it. AC and I, we always got it. We lived it, breathed it, believed in it, and it didn't let us down when push came to shove and the knock came to my door.

We're going in Easter, I've decided. I'll write to Padre and arrange it, and the AC and I, hopefully J as well, maybe T-boy, depending on when we go, we will show that we still get it.

Once you do, it never leaves you. And if you don't by now, you never will.