Words can’t even begin to describe how honored I am to have my dear friend Kris to be my first guest blogger. Kris is…just one of those special people – that you know, right when you meet them, that they’re a friend for life. I met a Kris a year ago (as of this past Monday) and he’s truly been such a blessing to me. I asked him to write about the most important thing anyone has ever said to him – and he wrote something beautiful.
Enjoy.
God is good friends. God is good.
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| Kris, Infantry Saw Gunner – US Army, Iraq 2004 |
My father and I have never had an emotional relationship. My parents divorced when I was 11 and I don’t think we hugged or shared an ‘I love you’ after that. Not that we didn’t, it just wasn’t said. Him and my grandfather were both Army Infantry. When I was 18 it was only natural that I followed suit.
Eight months in to my time in to the military, I came home for a four day weekend before returning to Fort Lewis Washington to be deployed to Iraq. My dad drove me to the airport to drop me off alone. As we walked towards security he asked me if I was scared. I would have denied it to anyone else that asked me but I admitted to him that I was. That’s when he said the most important thing anyone has ever said to me. It’s a quote that has been credited to many different people over time in one variation or another. John Maxwell, Nelson Mendela, Teddy Roosevelt. But my dad’s is the one I remember. He said…
“Bravery isn’t the absence of fear, rather having the guts to go through with what scares you”
Then when we got to security I didn’t know what to say to him. I just looked down and said ‘ok dad’ trying not to cry. He hugged me for the first time since I was a kid. No doubt that quote crossed my mind every single day until I saw him again a year later.
Letting Go | Choose Joy 
I love that quote. Great post
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Ya, I agree. Great quote! You have to meet Kris soon!
XOXO
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