Morning Walk

As I descend down my steps, flanked by the greatest flag on earth, I prepared for my daily walk with a full heart of tangled emotions. Internally, I was processing dropping off my daughter at the airport for a military tour which was the same trip I made with my military son only a few days prior. Many emotions filled my spirit, as my essence of pride is palpable, but conversely, fretted with alternating feelings of sadness and loss. Three hundred feet into my jaunt, I encountered a friend and military mom whose daughter is now serving in the army. We conversed about love and commitment and the arduous journey these valiant young men and women pursue.

As I veered the corner with the town bustling in preparation for a grand beach day, I witnessed some parents of whom I know have children in places we wouldn’t dare to travel as a civilian. Secretly in my heart, I said a prayer for those parents and their brave children. Passing the church, I see “In God We Trust” and remember how Rockaway and Breezy welcomed our wounded sailors and soldiers a few days prior. Hitting the sand, I witness tents and volleyball players preparing to honor a fallen NY hero. Trucking along, I bump into a mom whose son is serving and we chatted about how to keep strong while our loved ones are away. Looking forward in the windy high tide, I spotted a handsome lad picking up the garbage on his beach and thought, who could that be? Ah yes, that’s my son’s friend, a proud Navy vet who just served his final tour and is transitioning towards a new beginning. He guided me on my path with many words of encouragement. I thanked him for all his help and journeyed forward.

As I proceeded onward to my beach block, I witnessed another Marine Corps friend and neighbor playing with his son and dog on the beach whilst his beautiful wife looked on smiling. I thought to myself, in a 10-block radius I’ve just encountered at least 10 military families and veterans. I expressed an “Oorah” aloud and headed home after a fulfilled walk. I walk with my head higher than when I started, feeling almost transformed in the sense that we are never alone. I know intimately that Jesus always walks beside me and I am keenly aware of all those in this community who support the military, their families and their children in quiet humility.

To all the military parents in Rockaway Beach, I see you, I feel you, I am proud of you, I continue to pray for you and your families, I thank you and I salute you. In a 10-block radius and a one hour time frame, I am filled with gratitude. Where in the world could this be possible other than the Town I Love So Well?

God Bless the sons and daughters of Rockaway Beach and God Bless America.

By Sarah Brown Bradwisch, a Rockaway native and military veteran