By Kieran Lin Rich – KRich13@bellsouth.net
It’s cold today. I’m looking out the window watching it rain. I just had a moment of déja vu as this is sounding very much like the beginning of my blog of a few weeks ago.
There are a few major differences though. One being that my usual view as I blog is of our cookie-cutter subdivision with the house across the street that looks exactly like ours. But today my view is of the churning, angry-looking, stormy Atlantic Ocean. Before you go leaping for the remote to turn on CNN…no, everything east of Nashville did not suddenly plummet into the ocean. Jeff and I are in Virginia Beach, VA and Friday we witnessed history.
Before I tell you about it though, I have to make a disclaimer…
This history that we witnessed is pretty much personal history…it’s history with a limited audience — not the kind of history that will have most people “ooohing” and “aaahing” and circling the date in red on their calendars. But to us, this was a monumental day.
Friday morning as fighter jets flew overhead, Jeff and I witnessed the 40th Commanding Officer take charge of Naval Air Station Oceana. The ceremony was truly amazing — vacillating between funny and touching and solemn — sometimes all within seconds. I laughed as the Navy Chaplain’s invocation began to rhyme, sounding very much like it was written by Dr. Seuss. As the outgoing Commander thanked his parents for raising him right, I had tears in my eyes. Seeing the officers in their full dress uniforms (Complete with swords! Jeff was so jealous!) as the Navy band belted out “Stars and Stripes Forever”, “Anchors Aweigh” and “God Bless America” made my skin prickle with patriotic goosebumps.
The keynote speaker, a rear admiral who is Commander of the Naval Air Force Atlantic, personally thanked the siblings of both the outgoing and the incoming Commanders of NAS Oceana. He didn’t thank them for teaching their brothers to be tough, for setting a good example, or even for inspiring the boys who would one day grow to be the men in charge. No, the Admiral simply thanked the siblings for allowing their brothers to live and for not killing them during childhood.
Now there’s a universal theme if there ever was one! I smiled at Jeff then as I remembered the stories he has told me of the times he held his little brother at arm’s length as said brother fought and snarled and spit in an effort to either kill or seriously injure my husband — whichever came first. I thought of the story of the same little brother chasing Jeff around the yard with a baseball bat. Jeff, of course, had done nothing to provoke this action. I’m thinking that if I asked the little brother, the story might be a little different.
Oddly, that same scene was played out in my own backyard when I was a kid. Sure it was hundreds of miles from the coastal Florida town where Jeff grew up and the involved parties were my own brothers; but, the rest of the script? Exactly the same. After much effort (Or sometimes little effort!) big brother incites little brother to severe yard-rage. Little brother picks up first available object that is not only mobile but also capable of inflicting severe bodily harm — a baseball bat — little brother chases big brother. Big brother screams like a little girl. It’s a story as old as time. (Editor’s Note: I did not scream like a little girl!)
I thought of these childhood events as I watched the new Commander of NAS Oceana step to the podium. His voice wavered a bit when he thanked his wife and children for their unending support; but as he talked, his voice changed. The quivery words fell away and his voice became bold and strong and sure. He talked about the challenges that lay ahead and the accomplishments of NAS Oceana that lay behind. As he spoke, I was struck by the enormity and overwhelming responsibility of the Commander’s new position. There are 10,000 people who’s very lives depend on this Commander making wise decisions. Even if I had a million years to prepare, I would never be up for such an intense level of responsibility. That is just flat-out scary!
Afterward, Jeff and I talked about the conviction I felt to pray for the new Commander and his family during the next 18 months. I was a little overwhelmed as to what to pray for; but then God, as is His way, boiled it down to the bone for me. My first prayer went something like this…”Please guide the decisions of every man who is in a position to change lives. Give our President wisdom and understanding and discernment and courage. Protect our country and please God, don’t ever let there be another day like September 11th, 2001.”
My favorite part of the weekend came as we were getting ready to leave. I got a hug from the new Commander of NAS Oceana. In his eyes, I looked for the little boy who had been hung upside down by his heels and chased his older brother with a baseball bat. But what I saw there was a brave, capable man who I am so incredibly proud to call my brother-in-law.
Congratulations, Mark! We’re proud of you. We love you and we’re praying for you.
Note: This blog was written a few weeks ago but was held up in my editing department. Thanks for reading it anyway!
