Reflections on Bo's Father

Dear God,
Here I sit early morning hours of the day two weeks to the day Bo was killed still unable to sleep. Praying, thinking, wondering about things that make me who I am. David and I sat on the deck tonight and cried as we remember just a few of the wonderful memories of Bo and his childhood here. We raised him in this home, everywhere we look he is here. Everytime he came in and slammed that back and said "I'm home!", like we didn't know from the sound of the slamming door, but oh wouldn't that sound good now. When we got married he said "I am so happy we have a family".

The potato food fight with Jill, Dad, Bo and I and then we turned the sink hose on them and everyone slide around on the kitchen floor fell down and laughed and laughed...got up and did it again. The refried beans in the face, we weren't conventional parents, but that's why there are to many memories to count.

We cherished our children as they were growing up. We loved them, we played with them, we spent time with them, we embraced them, we watched them as they changed from children to teenagers.

Bo was 4 1/2 years old when David and Jill came into our lives. David went from David to Dad, from friend to confidant, from step-dad to Father. He became Bo's rolemodel. He became the man Bo cherished and looked to when times were tough. He taught Bo to drive, to chew tobacco and hate it, helped guide him in his decision about what branch of the military to join, held him thru the night because he was terrified of storms.

He is the Father that bought him first truck, helped him with insurance, consoled him up when he wrecked it and helped him fiqure out how to get another ride. He is the Father that played catch in the front yard, that got him his first dog, that went to the soccer games and stood on the sidelines. David is the Father that was in church when he was baptized on Easter Sunday as a child and rededicated his life later as an adult.

David is the Father who spent many sleepless nights waiting and praying for his son when he was with the 101st fighting the first attack in Iraq. He is the Father who helped make sure that all of Bo's soldiers recieved atleast one item on their Christmas wish list during their first Christmas overseas.

David is the Father that has always been there when Bo's world was brought crashing down by circumstances or persons in is life and he had no one or no where else to go. He always knew that he could depend on this man as his Dad to come to his rescue no matter the time of day or night, the amount of money or effort he would be there and during the course of Bo's 32 years he had had a lot of disappointments and hurts but he knew where his safe haven was and who's arms would hold him.

He is the Father who fell to the floor face down and cried out to GOD in anguish and grief unable to bear the pain of the knowledge that his only son had just been killed, he is the Father that has wept countless tears over the death of his only son. He is Father that goes to the office he shared with his son everyday, he if the Father that puts his faith in God and believes that it won't get better but it will get bearable.

Father's Day last year Bo and Jill gave their Dad a plate that said " A Son's first hero, a Daughter's first love - Father "

God,
Thank you for the blessing of bringing David and Jill into our lives so that Bo and I would know the love of a family. Thank you for the beautiful family we have, for the wonderful memories we created, the pain we suffered allowed us to be open to be truly loved, thank you dear Lord for leading us on the path to where we are today. Thank you for all your blessings and for the love and joy that comes from having you in our hearts. Remind us to bring glory and honor to you in all that we do. I love you Lord Jesus. Amen