I have a young friend who is in the US Army and is serving in Afghanistan. I heard the other day that my friend’s tour will end at Christmas, which is of course good news for his family and others who are close to him.
The friend worked with me at weddings for a while, back a number of years ago when he was a college student with a growing interest in photography. He had a wonderful eye and talent for making images, and he went on to shoot for newspapers for several years. I guess photography wasn’t difficult enough for him because he decided to join the Army, where he trained as a paratrooper.
I’ve climbed many mountains here in the Northwest, and being up in airy places doesn’t scare me. I can’t imagine, however, jumping out of an airplane. My young friend has courage that impresses me beyond words.
A couple of weeks ago I photographed a wedding where the groom is a Navy pilot. He wore his dress whites for the ceremony, as did members of his squadron. After the ceremony, when the bride and groom were formally introduced to the wedding guests at the reception, the men from the squadron formed an archway with swords, through which the newly married couple passed. It was a very cool thing to see.
I later learned that the groom and his squadron recently returned from deployment in Afghanistan.
All these folks who are now or have been serving in Afghanistan got me to mulling over the idea of “service,” ... a word that could be spelled serve-us. I got to thinking about all the people I know who, in one way on another, serve others: Family members who volunteer at church; a friend who runs a nonprofit foundation for families who have a child with a life-threatening illness; neighbors who donate produce to the local food bank. I could go on and on. I was kind of amazed to realize that I couldn’t think of one person I know who does not do something to be of service...
To serve-us.
