Honor

When Sydney was 4, she used to love watching Kim Possible on Disney. It's an adorable little cartoon about a teenager who fights bad guys. For a while there I had to convince Sydney that if she ever came face to face with a bad guy, that she shouldn't try to beat them up like KP does.

In one episode, her sidekick, Ron Stoppable, goes to Japan to become a monkey ninja. Awesome, right? (BTW, you should look up "Low-Budget Ninja" on stumbleupon.com. It gives you instructions on how to become a low-budget ninja.) While in Japan, Ron Stoppable learns that sometimes the only reason we do things we'd rather not is out of duty, and, therefore, it becomes our honor to do our duty.

On Disney Channel, it would be Ron's honor to assist his master by carrying something heavy across the fragile-looking, mile long wood bridge that spans a rocky crevice. In reality, it is my honor to send my husband off to Afghanistan, or even off to the hospital for 90% of the last 6 years of my life, to take care of our young, and young-at-heart, men and women in uniform.

People ask how I'm doing, and I'm doing fine, which is what I say to everyone, my parents and strangers alike. Some say that they have good days and bad days, but I usually have my good hours and bad hours. The thing is that regardless of the situation or location, everyone in the world can say the same. I don't have the corner on the market (Isn't that a saying?) on having challenges and difficulties to overcome.

I'm just blessed to have a purpose behind what I do. Knowing that the sacrifices I make enable someone else's husband and son to come home keeps me going and keeps me from complaining. More than thinking that life is hard and mine could be worse, I remind myself that it is my honor to support my husband's work of healing others.

I did Chair Aerobics today for the first time today. I always thought that was for the over 80 crowd (Sorry Mamaw), but I had fun laughing with the class. Normally I prefer not to be cheesy and so I keep quiet while group moderators try to get a class to do silly things. Today, however, I didn't want to appear self-important to the younger women around me or to the cute little Cooper Institute trained-grandpa/volunteer who taught our class. It was my honor to join in singing Row Row Row Your Boat with the class while we did some core-strengthening rowing exercises.