"Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven." ~Tryon Edwards

I was facilitating a training the other day that required the participants to speak on their feet. It is always interesting to see the reactions of people when they are put on the spot to talk about an unknown subject. The participants chose a number and I would reveal the topic that they needed to speak on for one minute. Topics included; Chocolate, Weather in my Hometown, Seasons, My Favorite Vacation and Hobbies. As we went through the topics and the turns, the class began to learn a lot about each other. Everyone's personality began to unfold and the group had a lot of fun with the exercise. It didn't take long before we were laughing and carrying on at all of the interesting information that was being shared.
 One participant chose a number and the topic was "The Best Day of My Life". The timer was started and she began to describe the day that her husband returned from a deployment to Iraq. We heard about the bus driving up, we heard about the anticipation in the armory of all of the families, and we heard about how she felt when she saw her husband again. A quiet fell over our group as we relived that incredible day. When the minute was up, and I finished wiping away the tears, we all thanked our classmate for sharing such a fantastic moment with us.
 The truth is that those are beautiful days. Those moments of reunion are forever forged in our memories. The time of day, the place that you were standing when you first saw your loved one again, the smell of their clothes, the look on their face. Those are some of the best days.
 It is easy to forget those days when the craziness of life comes crashing down. It is easy to get wrapped up in the business of parenting, and marriage and to stop remembering how terrible it feels to be apart. It is easy to take our loved ones for granted.
 When the training was over and all of the speeches were finished, our group had bonded over some really wonderful stories. The one that I'll remember the most is the one that reminded me of one of my own Best Days, and of the blessing of having my Soldier by my side.