Late one Friday night around midnight, lying on my couch watching TV, my son Anthony informs me he is going to the video store to get a movie. Like any parent, my first statement was, "It's late." My next statement was, "Again, it's late and why can't you wait till tomorrow?" Before he could answer, I started with my parenting spiel that I had developed and perfected over the years. Pointing out how danger lurks in the darkness, in the highways and byways late at night. He let me finish, then he said, "Daddy I just got home from Iraq, surely I can go to the video store and get back safely." (He was in the Army and just finished his second deployment to Iraq.) I was quite..... thinking, " I guess he told me!" I held back the tears until he left. Then I lost it! The dam broke; the flood gate of tears soaked my pillow. Tears of joy, tears of happiness, tears of THANKS, to my God who brought my son back home safely from the battlefields of Iraq. It's one thing to worry about going to the video store but it's a whole different story to endure the worries of the battlefields. I can remember lying awake some nights praying for his safety and sometimes tears of sadness would roll down my face because I missed him so much. There were some nights I would lay awake smiling, just thinking about the good times we shared and the crazy things he sometimes said and did.
As a child he was a lot like me, a little mischievous. Today he is all grown up. He is 27 years old today, Happy Birthday Anthony Gerald Warren, my son. I Love you with all of my heart!!
He is out of military now, Thank you son for your service. Like all of us, he has had some challenges but he is beginning to find his way in life. He is a home owner, a certified barber and a father.
You make your DADDY proud,
Happy birthday son!
Love Dad
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