“Turn on the news…”

“Turn on the news…” was the ominous text I received at about 8 pm last night from my beloved Meesh. It’s one of those open ended phrases that catches your breath. Your mind races. Your heart skips a beat. Will you laugh, will you cry, will you be shaken to core?

I will never forget the morning nearly 10 years ago when I had to deliver that phrase to my parents, bursting through their bedroom door shouting for them to “Turn on the news…”.

Our generation has seen buildings fall from the sky, tyrants hanging from beams and the bodies of captured soldiers being dragged through the street, all from just ‘turning on the news’. We have learned of international tragedies when the earth shook too hard and the water rose too high, all from just ‘turning on the news’.

Driving to work this morning, listening to the radio news broadcast and contemplating the last 24 hours and all that I had learned from ‘turning on the news’, my heart flip flopped between overwhelming joy and sense of retribution to an equally overwhelming fear and sense of insecurity about what the future will hold for us. For our country. For our military men, women and families. For the loved ones of those who have perished in the line of terrorist actions.

The changing headlines became too much. The facts and quotes from senior officials all began to melt into one blob of confused emotion.

I changed the station.

And my entire body filled with goosebumps, my eyes instantly brimmed with tears.

God had shown me how to feel and it had been delivered through the bellowing chorus of Toby Keith’s, “American Soldier.”

I feel proud. I feel thankful and blessed for these men and women and for them, on this day of confused emotions, I share with you a song dedicated to them.

American Soldier

Toby Keith

I’m just tryin’ to be a father, raise a daughter and a son
Be a lover to their mother, everythin’ to everyone
Up and at ‘em bright and early, I’m all business in my suit
Yeah I’m dressed up for success, from my head down to my boots

I don’t do it for money, there’s bills that I can’t pay
I don’t do it for the glory, I just do it anyway

Providing for our future’s, my responsibility

Yeah I’m real good under pressure, being all that I can be
And I can’t call in sick on Mondays when the weekend’s been too strong
I just work straight through the holidays, and sometimes all night long
You can bet that I stand ready, when the wolf growls at the door 
Hey I’m solid, hey I’m steady, hey I’m true down to the core.

And I will always do my duty no matter what the price
I’ve counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice
Oh and I don’t want to die for you, but if dyin’s asked of me
I’ll bear that cross with honor, cause freedom don’t come free.

I’m an American Soldier an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters, I will proudly take a stand
When liberty’s in jeopardy, I will always do what’s right

I’m out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight
American Soldier, I’m and American, Soldier.

An American Soldier an American
Beside my brothers and my sisters, I will proudly take a stand
When liberty’s in jeopardy, I will always do what’s right
I’m out here on the front lines, sleep in peace tonight
American Soldier, I’m an American, an American, an American, Soldier.

Ciao