I Got Mail!

Music to my ears… or rather, a big treat for my eyes!!!! No, not talking about “eye candy” like you may be thinking…… I got “MARINE MAIL” on Saturday!!!!!! Only it wasn’t the “FREE MAIL” from over in the Sandbox – it had a real, live STAMP on it with a USA return address!!!!!!!! :-) One of my “babies” wrote to let me know he’s back safe & sound. Awwww……!

I gotta tell you a cool story about this particular Marine-baby of mine. We had adopted him from Adoptaplatoon.org well over a year ago while he was over in Afghanistan. Last Christmas, I’d sent him a Christmas card – IN AFGHANISTAN. However – I learned after I’d mailed it, that the “mail stop” date for his unit had come & gone – somehow I’d missed the notification email from AAP alerting me as to when to stop writing. Drat, I didn’t have time to write the sappy “goodbye, take care of yourself, we are so proud of you!” final letter I write when each adoption ends.

Now, fast-forward several months. Sometime late this spring or early this summer, I got another letter from this same Marine --- only this time, he was stationed in IRAQ. He wrote & said something along the lines of: “I JUST NOW got the Christmas card, the one you sent me when I was in Afghanistan… I’m glad it found me because I’d lost your address, and I wanted to let you know I’m back for my third and final tour in the sandbox.”

Did you catch that?! The Christmas card I’d sent to him IN AFGHANISTAN (after the mail cutoff date had passed) found him several months later – IN IRAQ. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Way cool! So, needless to say – I re-adopted him immediately and kept writing to him until I learned of his mailstop date (and yes, I got to send the sappy goodbye letter this time, haha!).

Saturday I got this letter from my Marine-baby. I’ll quote it here, but of course leaving out his name & all for privacy. An “I’M HOME!” letter is one of the most beautiful sights in the world, in my humble opinion! :-)

“Dear Mama Kat and Family,

Well, the war is finally over for this Marine. I have made it back to [home state]. My wife was even here to meet me when I got off the plane. It is great to be back. If everything goes as planned, I should be out of the Corps for good and home in a couple of months. I just wanted to thank you for all of your letters. It really did help getting support from people back home. I wish you all health and happiness. Thanks again, God bless.

[Marine’s Name]

Awwwwwwwwww…..*sniffle, cry*

Never, ever underestimate the power of a simple letter…never, ever underestimate how much mail from home means to them….