Brayden and Anneliese
Tonia and I met when our kiddos were in preschool together. What an incredible blessing her friendship has been. Our kids have grown to be the best of friends and I have grown to cherish the support I found in our friendship. From playdates at DQ where it all started......to weekly coffee and breakfast at Angelo's when the boys started kindergarten......all the late night phone calls when the guys were away.......the shakira(is that how you spell that?) dance when 9 months pregnant and everything in between.
The original pre school crew!
Tonia.....you have touched my life more than you will ever know and you will be so very missed! True friends that you know you can always count on when you really need them are few and far between...but I have been so very blessed to find that in my friendship with you. You saw me through some of the hardest times in my life and I don't think you even knew how much your support and friendship meant to me then and will continue to mean to me! You amaze me, you inspire me and I will miss you so much! Give the kiddos a big hug from "Aunt Aubrey" and the boys....we miss you already!
One last picture together.....
In the Hope for the Home Front Bible study I am doing right now there was a chapter on the sacrifice of separation and author Marshele Carter Waddell ended with the question...What's so good about good-bye?? I'd just like to share a few of the answers she gave....
~It is good that we stop our frenzy of activity to express our appreciation for the comfort, the friendship, the support, the laughter, the tears, and the encouragement the person has added to our journey.
~Good-bye is good if it teaches us to cherish life and breath, strength and sound mind, and the moments we are allowed to walk side by side with a friend.
~Good-bye is good if, in that difficult moment, we stand still long enough to give thanks to God for the lessons we've learned together, the love given, and the love received, recognizing that these blessings are gifts from the hand of God.
Driving away from the "K's" house after our final goodbye I thought back to this lesson and I did thank God for the time I had to walk side by side with Tonia!
So "K" family.....Fair winds and Following Seas.....you will be truly missed and we wish you all the happiness in the world as you move on to the next part of your journey!
3 comments:
Aubs - I sit in utter amazement at the sacrifice that you and so many other women make on a daily basis....a sacrifice that I will never know...but a sacrifice that molds, shapes, and allows my family -on a daily basis- to be WHO WE ARE.
I LOVE YOU! I cherish you as a woman, as a mom, and as a citizen. I cherish your children. We have never met - but your family is a part of my daily prayers.
I want you to know that the fact that you face everyday as a mother - alone on the homefront - brings me so much motivation.
Nothing in my life can be harder that what you face - ALONE. I love this country to my core. And therefore - the men who sacrifice SO MUCH to let me be me, are at the top of my list of men to adore.
But even higher on my list are the women behind these men. These men allow me to sleep well at night. These men allow me to raise my children in a country I continue to be proud of. These men - if you really want to get down to it - have put me and my family before their own!
My husband is from a military family. I am not. It is hard for me to understand the willingness you have for sacrifice. For putting all the rest of us before yourself and your children.
But I want you to know that it does not go UNNOTICED!!! May God rain his blessings upon your family for what you have freely accepted as your duty to us, me, this country!
God Bless You! And thank you!
I owe much of my prosperity to you, your husband, and every military family who has sacrificed for my better-ment!
I pray you are reunited soon!
aubrey--
erin said exactly what i feel for you all.
i'm so proud of you all...and thankful to have you as family and a friend! =)
Oh, Aubrey it is hard when your friends and family go. I always say it's harder on the ones left behind vs the ones going! It doesn't ever get easier, but you get stronger. You wrote so many nice things, I just don't know what to say! I will be in touch. Miss you!
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