Day 509

Welcome home!!! Whenever we are gone for more than ten minutes, our Goldens greet us as if our return was LONG overdo! We can hardly push through the door due to our furry family members attempting to be the first to attack with love! The only remedy for our bodily safety is the promise of a treat!

My own "Welcome Home" has occurred more than once. Coming into a toasty warm house after a long day at Lincoln Elementary, band camp, college and other big and small events where a homecoming was offered. In each case, loved ones opened their arms and hearts to make me feel special and necessary.

Providing "Homecomings" for my own family was always an event filled with joy! This time, being on the welcoming end, I put effort and energy into making the returning loved one feel their worth. Hopefully each one felt the love flowing as they returned to their home.

It wasn't until I married Mac that I began to embrace a different kind of "Homecoming." Vietnam Vets, who did not experience a Hero's Welcome like those of past service members, seemed to soak that rejection into their souls before carrying on with a life changed forever. Meeting so many of these amazing men, some ridden with the effects of Agent Orange and memories too horrible to share, my heart embraced their plight.

For years now, when I see a Vietnam Vet, I look them right in the eye and say,

"Thank you so much for your service...and Welcome Home."

Every one of them, some with tears in their eyes, looks surprised and thanks me profusely.

Whatever the reason for a Homecoming, there is an opportunity to share love, true feelings and a chance to acknowledge a person's self-worth. When my Goldens are the "welcoming committee," there is NEVER a doubt about a warm welcome!