Thanks for the service

There is a happy girl in our house.

Her grandparents are coming to visit tomorrow.

I don’t think my parents have stepped foot in North Carolina since we moved away, many many years ago.

I think they always thought it would be too sad to go back. Because they really loved their time here.

Today when we were on the trail we met a couple in their 60’s. The man was taken in by Eva and they started chatting about the trail, animals, the fresh air….

I told him that we were trying to get used to all of the snakes we kept seeing. He laughed (he had one of those constant infectious smiles) and said, “yeah, there are a lot of them- but they won’t bother you if you don’t mess with them”.

We went on talking about how we just moved here- he encouraged that the longer you live here, the more you love it.

I told him that I used to live near the coast, at Camp Lejeune- that my dad used to be a marine.

He smiled again- I used to be a marine too, he said. I also lived at Camp Lejeune, great place.

I told him that parents were coming in tomorrow, that we were going to try to convince them to retire here (or Wilmington).

“Lots of us do!” he said.

It was time to move on and with another big smile he said, “Listen- you tell your dad that you met a fellow marine today. Tell him that I said thanks for his service.”

Thanks for your service dad- see you tomorrow!!