Over the six years of Juni’s life (our 10th grandchild), we’ve received many tender and wonderful pictures of her. But the image I received this week moved me in a very different way. Perhaps, if you’re like me, you’re struggling a bit to decode the letter that Juni hand scribed. Let me help…
Dear Veteran –
Thank you for tectin aer crurchrwi. You aer sure brav. You aer a hero.
Love…
From scribe to translator…
Dear Veteran –
Thank you for protecting our country. You are sure brave. You are a hero.
Love,
Juni
“From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.” (Nehemiah 4:16a, ESV)
The book of Nehemiah records the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem that had been laying in rubble for 140 years. God’s commissioning of Nehemiah propelled this leader to mobilize a workforce to rebuild in 52 days. But it took both builders and warriors. Contractors and soldiers.
Some with hammer and nails, some with bows and blades.
Freedom is costly. At levels that I seldom fully consider…
What my six-year-old granddaughter reminded me of is that I far too infrequently say thank you to those who put their lives on the line to make freedom a possibility for me.
The people who are “tectin” me. The people who live lives of bravery and courage. Not with an absence of fear, but with a propelling purpose. A cause. A vision. With a wall to rebuild and protect.
Juni said what I have missed saying.
Dear Veteran –
Thank you. It is your sacrifice, your commitment, your bravery that affords me the opportunity to live in freedom. Your “tectin” makes my flourishing possible. You are “brav”. And yes… you are my hero.
Veteran’s Day. November 11, 2023.
For all those who carry a sword so I can swing a hammer. Thank you. Bless you.
We pray for peace, but we live with war. And for your service, I am touched and inspired.
An army of family members. Of friends. Of complete strangers… so I can enjoy, what I so often take for granted.
Indeed. Thanks for “tectin”. Thanks for being “brav”.
Love (and admiration)…
“Dan (on behalf of Juni)”
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