Being Thankful

My (former) next door neighbor's son was in Iraq for a while, and we just received word that he is home safe for the next week (maybe 2). He is in the Marines, and will hopefully be sent to Japan for 6 months instead of Iraq. We are all very thankful that he is home safe. He is my age and we walked or rode the bus to school together from Kindergarden all the way through 10th grade (after which we all got our licenses and drove to school). It just amazes me that someone my age (and he's not the only one of my high school friends who is in the military, whether in Iraq or somewhere else) is out there fighting. I remember being in my 12th grade history class and thinking about the 18 year olds in WWI and WW2 - wow. Now I am 23 and I still can't fathom people my own age being in war. I feel so young. I'm thankful that it isn't me out there, and I'm thankful that my friend Kyle came home, at least for a little while. Please remember the other friends and loved ones in harm's way, as they might not be so lucky.