Many of you know that my husband, John spent 20 years in the US Army.  He joined the Army in 1976.  Unlike today, the boots in that era required maintenance.  It was the responsibility of every soldier to have spit shined boots.  This was a reflection on the uniform and the soldier who wore it.  And so, every Sunday, my husband spit shined his boots.  EVERY SUNDAY! 

Shortly after my husband died in 2017, I was packing for my move to Florida and came upon an old wine box.  I can’t remember where we got this box, but I remember clearly my husband confiscating the box for his boot shining kit.  As I opened the box, a flood of memories immediately came to mind.  Seeing the brush he held for so many years, made me think of those many Sundays as he sat in his favorite chair in front of a football game shining his boots.  I cried as I held the brush and knew that I could never get rid of this treasure, and so I put the brush in the last pair of Army boots he wore before he retired and put the boots and brush on a shelf in the guest bedroom closet in my new Florida home.  These were some of the many items that I treasured – an old pair of Army boots and a boot shining brush! 

I remember telling my son and his family the story about the boots and the brush.  There were tears as I shared this memory because we loved this man and all that he stood for.  He was an amazing soldier who took pride in all that he did. 

John entered the Army in 1976 as an enlisted soldier without any direction for what he wanted to do in life.  Shortly after our oldest son was born, his plan, held deep in his heart, burst forth.  He wanted to be a helicopter pilot and a commissioned officer. 

Several months ago, my beautiful granddaughter came to live with me for three months while attending a local tattoo school.  She is an amazing artist.  She took over the guest room and the guest room closet.  The Army boots and the brush were in this closet. 

My granddaughter graduated from tattoo school with everyone raving about her artwork. She is very detailed in what she does and has won awards in high school for this special talent. When my son and daughter-in-law came for a visit, they each got a tattoo from my granddaughter. They tried to recruit me, but I was very adamant about having the artwork on my wall rather than on my body!

For my birthday, I received in the mail a special envelope from my granddaughter. 

LOVE is an amazing thing.  Sometimes it’s the simple things in life – like an old pair of Army boots and a boot shining brush – that remind us of the LOVE that surrounds us and the closeness of our loved ones.  There is a thin veil between us and the ones who have died.  As I look at this artwork, I feel John’s presence and an immense outpouring of love from him and my family – especially the artist who took the time to honor her grandpa in a very special way!

Let me know in the comments below if you prefer your artwork to be on your wall or on your body. And stay tuned - I’m working on a prayer journal that will complement my latest book.

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