As most of you know, last year (2012) I was deployed to Afghanistan until August of that year. This meant training started in Sept of 2011, requiring lots of traveling. Well due to the timing of our departure out of country and Christmas we were allowed to take some time off and go home to spend time with our loved ones before we walked in hell’s front door.
As expected we were all excited to go home and were anticipating the time for the buses to arrive at the Mississippi base to take us away. Most of us had headphones in listening to music that reflected what we had been through in some way, while the others stood around “smokin and joking” as we call it. The songs we listened to varied from love songs, rap, and songs that got our blood pumping. There was one song that in particular struck my mood at that time and the whole bus ride home to Ohio I listened to it. The more I listened to it, the more I thought about by girlfriend at the time, and honestly the more I prepped for the trip that would be coming way too soon.
We got home safely and spend the time with loved ones and living life like only a soldier about to be deployed would. Fast forward to Christmas Day. I gave Amanda a ring and made her my fiancé. 1 week later I left to go back to Mississippi. Within 2 weeks I was on the other side of the world. But it was that bus ride back to Mississippi that really stuck out to me. It was way too early in the morning. We had to report to the Armory somewhere around 4 am, so my family and Amanda went out to Walmart (for some reason) and to get breakfast. (That is one of my favorite memories from when dad was alive).
Well I got on the bus and instantly put my headphones back in…that same song. Playing over and over, the whole way. It made me think of my new love, and those I was leaving behind.
Moral of the story is that God used a single song to keep those feelings of love and commitment kindled in the depths of my heart. No matter how mad I was, or how hurt I was, whenever I listened to that song Amanda came to my mind and that unending love refilled my heart. Even to this day that song has the same effect. It rekindles those memories and makes me remember exactly what I felt during those times and what love for her should look/feel like. Even though the song is by no means a Christian song, or even a song I’m willing to post on here, God still used it as a way to remind me about what our love started off as, and what it should be like.
The Awakening 