Mother’s Day 2012
As Mother’s Day approached this year I realized that it was occurring on the exact 5 year anniversary of Rhys’ death in Iraq. As Michael said Happy Mother’s Day the night before, I grumbled, “What is so happy about it?”
We ask the question and if we are truly seeking, God promptly answers us.
I got up on the morning of Mother’s Day to prepare some goodies for a small brunch gathering. While in the kitchen, Michael came down with a printed sheet of paper flapping in his hand. “Look at this,” he said with that knowing bit of twinkle in his eyes. The paper held a printed message of an e-mail he had received. The message was one of greetings and request. The greeting was from one of Rhys’ teammates from the deployment in Iraq. The request was to send a very Happy Mother’s Day to me. The note went on to say what a pleasure it was to have known Rhys.
That note was the beginning of what I think was the best Mother’s Day ever or at least since Rhys was killed.
While I was still marveling at the fact that someone would take the time to find us on the internet and then send such a lovely note 5 years after Rhys was gone, I got a telephone call. It was from one of Rhys’ sergeants who, once again, was deployed with Rhys in Iraq. He called to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day and see how I was doing. But, even better than that, he told me that he would be naming his son, due this summer, after Rhys. “Oh my gosh,” I thought. “Could this get any better today?”
Later in the afternoon I went out to Riverside National Cemetery to place flowers on Rhys’ gravesite. As I approached, I noticed a man, a woman, and a young boy at the site. I walked up and said, “Hey, I’m Rhys’ mom.” Both the man and the woman were active duty soldiers. Both had been deployed with Rhys. I sat down and we talked…and we laughed. They told me stories about Rhys while he was in Iraq. It was so amazing. The young woman, mother of the young boy, said her Mother’s Day request was to come out to the cemetery to visit Rhys. I told them how blessed I felt that they were there when I came by. I drove away joyfully.
There it was. I asked what was good about the day and I was overjoyed with blessings. God told me that the day was one of joy and no one can take away the joy of the Lord.
Ask and it shall be answered unto you, seek and you shall find.
She is also the mother of an American Hero. Her only child, Sgt. Rhys W. Klasno was killed in action on "Mother's Day," 13 May 2007 in Haditha, Iraq. Read her American Hero Tribute Blog and check out her Roofing Solutions Wonderkid Blog
- HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY RHYS - July 16, 2016
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