“I think I’ve already lost you, I think you’re already gone, I think I’m finally scared now, you think I’m weak, I think you’re wrong” Lyrics from “If you’re Gone,” recorded by Matchbox Twenty in 2000 |
That night still holds precious memories for me, but those lyrics have an entirely different meaning today. On Tuesday morning September 11, 2001, like many other families I learned our family’s future would be forever altered. Eventually, Robert, a member of the Ohio National Guard, was activated and sent to Iraq.
I was working in a restaurant several years later when I missed a call from Robert. After waiting on a table, I ran to the break room to listen his voicemail. I fell to my knees with tears flowing down my face when I heard: “Honey, I know you are at work, but I have to tell you the unit has been extended and placed on a new mission. Therefore, we will not be coming home as scheduled.”
Later that evening he called me back to explain that his unit had been assigned to convoy mission duties and he had no idea when they would be home. I knew I had to hide my heartbreak and be strong, but it wasn’t easy. His anguish must have been so much worse.
During our conversation out of the blue, he asked if we could renew our wedding vows when he got home. “Will you marry me?” he asked. “Will you marry me again, when I come home?” “Yes.” I exclaimed.