Southwest Airlines Flight 568 at 1430 – Wednesday
Kaesen and I had such an awesome reunion last night at the airport in Seattle. He and his mother met me at the Carousel 16 baggage claim area. Kaesen ran up to me and jumped into my arms. He kissed me a thousand times, told me more that he loved me, and his smile was surreal. All the hardships of a yearlong deployment and all the pain and suffering from his absence were gone! Hearing your child tell you they love you can make anything in the world better – and for me, last night and continuing forevermore, I am better.
We are flying right now on a Southwest flight from Seattle to Phoenix. Another reunion is pending in about another hour when we land. My dad and his wife, Viviane, Kaesen’s Goppie and Vovo, are meeting us at the airport. From Phoenix we will travel throughout Arizona to meet family and friends, and eventually over to Las Cruces to reunite with my brother, Blake, his beautiful wife, Jill – my sister in-deed and in-law, and their other son, Jonny, my other Blake Summerlin nephew. This summer Kaesen and I will again fly together to reunite with my momma, Ted, brother Tay, his wife Jennifer, and their children, Bailey, Emily, Katie Beth, and Toby. I love reunions!
After we left the airport last night I learned they had just eaten a Mexican dinner – but not without also saving me some delicious leftovers. Kaesen and I stayed at our dear friend Ellen’s house last night. We stayed up briefly visiting before turning in for some well-deserved rest. Kaesen cried when his momma left for her home an hour away – but I assured him she was not leaving forever, as he proclaimed, and never coming back. I presume he feels a little concerned that she, or his daddy, will leave for such a long time again as I did last May 8, 2011. His tears were quickly replaced with love, laughter, and joy. That is my job after all, to ensure my son is as happy as he can possibly be.
This morning we awoke early, took another long, hot bath, this time together, and prepared for the day. Kaesen’s gorgeous hair requires a little effort to maintain and I am so very lucky to be able to do these simple tasks for him after having been away for so very, very long. We left for breakfast and found a quaint little place down the road where Kaesen devoured seven slices of French toast, a third of my Belgian waffle, two pieces of pork sausage, a large glass of milk, and enjoyed the company of Ellen, her little baby, Thor, and his completely amazed and happy daddy.
Somewhere over Nevada we are flying south by southwest toward Arizona. This has been a day I have been waiting for now for so long, as was last night, and many more to come. I have a glad heart, a happy heart, and a heart filled with such love for my son, family, and friends. I cannot find enough words in the world to express just how grateful I am for this boy who is right now sleeping on my lap. I plan to spend the rest of my life loving this boy as much or more than anyone has ever loved another person in history. I am thankful to be home – Kaesen is after all my home.
143, Kaesen.
Good night and good day.
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