The Power of Community: David’s Homecoming

After 6 long months, we were told the words we had so longed for, but feared we might not ever hear. “David will be going home. He will be discharged on January 31, 2000.”

Our emotions ran all over the place. Uneasiness, anxiousness and nervousness, were mixed with excitement, joy and determination.

We were about to enter “The Great Unknown”. We would try to be a family again all under one roof. What would it look like? What would it feel like? Would we be able to handle it all? Would we fail?

After so many weeks of being fearful of losing David, it was unreal to think about having him back home again.

After being completely discharged, we began the 20 mile journey to the house. As we drove, there were signs at different mile markers, reminding us that we only had “X” more miles to go. With each sign, it felt like our friends and family were pulling us back to our house. We all had longed for and had hoped for this day for so long- this is what we’d been bound by prayers for- this is what our ultimate goal had been.

As we inched closer and closer to our home and children, the emotions overwhelmed us. With tears rolling down our cheeks, we travelled down highway 69 towards mid county- towards what would become our new normal.

It felt like we were starting a completely new chapter of our lives. The old was gone and the new was slapping us in the face.

There were people on street corners, waving signs in honor of David. Some of the people we didn’t recognize, but they were all members of our community who had been praying for our family. They were cheering for us even though we’d never met before… These were people who had taken on our burdens, who had supported us in the powerful prayers that literally held us up some days. These were people who had shared as we mourned our losses and who were now celebrating one of the most glorious days we’d ever experienced. It was intimate in a strange way.

This community showed us the body of Christ; they had all acted on our behalf. They shared in our victories and in our sorrows. They pushed up their sleeves and did jobs around our house on occasion- mowing the yard, dropping off meals, playing with our kids, giving my Dad a break once in a while. The covered us in love- a love we didn’t deserve. There was nothing we’d ever be able to do to repay them all for the sacrificial love they showered on us… Scripture says we all serve with a unique purpose.

Each person on our lawn represented this. Each one had served us by doing their very unique thing and each of these things held our family together, in their own special way.

We finally pulled into our driveway- the front lawn covered with a sea of people- the exterior of our home plastered with homemade posters, on which were written words like “Welcome Home, Dave”, and “Super Dave”.

David and I wiped off our cheeks and I got out of the truck, went to the passenger side and helped David down to the ground. I placed his elevated walker in front of him and we made our way to the middle of the chaos. Words escaped us- you’d think we would have had so much to say- to thank them- to celebrate with them, but all we could do was stand there in awe. We struggled to find adequate words but there simply were none. We were speechless. What do you say to a group of people who had been your lifeline through a period of time that you didn’t even know if you’d live through? “Thank You” was not sufficient but it was all David could say, emotions overtaking us.

Today I say once more, thank you. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in the past and who continue to support us now. The body of Christ is the most incredible support system I’ve ever witnessed, and our family would not be here without it.

As we walked over the threshold of our front door, kids in tow, we symbolically and quite literally turned the page of our story. We began a new chapter as we closed the door and stepped inside.

Then the adventure of a lifetime began…