Simple Things

In today's world we have so many ways of staying in touch. The one that I use most often is text messaging. It's quick, easy and requires very little effort. I don't think I ever really gave much thought to how much a text could mean. I doubt most people ever really think about it when they're sending one. A couple of weeks ago I was at USO and I saw exactly how much a text can mean. It was a deployment flight going to Iraq and it was around 5 AM. I was standing behind my table waiting to help any soldier who needed anything. A female soldier about my age came over and asked if she could charge her cell phone in the outlet behind my table. I told her sure and she bent down and plugged it in. She said that she had to hurry because her fiance would be texting her. She said that every morning he sent a text when he woke up. No matter where he was. That the moment his eyes opened he reached for his cell and sent her a message. I smiled as I thought of how sweet that was. She plugged it in and went to walk away but before she got 10 feet away it went off. She ran back, got on her knees and picked up her phone. From a distance I watched a smile spread across her face. Her whole face just lit up in happiness. A happiness I knew came from her heart. She read the message and sighed. I saw her begin to type back. She lowered her head and I saw her wipe a tear from her cheek. She finished typing, hit send and put her phone back down. She just sat there looking at the floor with her hands in her lap. I could feel her sadness in my own heart. I just wanted to hug her and comfort her. But I didn't want to intrude on her. I saw her wipe her eyes, get to her feet and walk toward the ladies room. I followed her and she stopped to talk to another soldier. I passed next to her and without stopping or saying a word I put an angel penny into her palm. I gently gave her hand a little squeeze and went into our store room. I never looked back. When I came back out she was there waiting for me. She looked at me and mouthed the words "thank you". I patted her arm, went back to my table and stood there fighting back tears. I thought of how much every morning she will miss those text messages. I thought of her fiance reaching for his phone to send her a message...but she isn't there to text. It made me grateful for all the simple things I take for granted. Sadly it took someone else's pain to remind me to appreciate things before they're gone.