Picture of the day - May 5, 2008

"Welcome home, Daddy."

Photo courtesy of Stacy Braswell. When a soldier answers our nation's call and marches off to war, the sacrifices made are many, and not all of them are made by the soldier himself. While he is on a faraway battlefield fighting for the freedoms we all enjoy (and all too often take for granted), his family is back home doing the best they can to live their lives in his absence. Sure, there are letters and an occasional phone call, but knowing that Daddy is going to be gone for a long, long time, and that he just might not make it back at all can be pretty hard for a young child to deal with. Thankfully, most who choose to serve will return safely home to their loved ones when their tour of duty is over, but all too many will come back either bearing the deep scars and wounds of war or in a coffin draped in the flag they so dearly loved. And the lives of their loved ones will be forever changed. Photographer Stacy Braswell captured this moving image of her young son holding on tightly to his daddy upon his return from an 18 month tour in Iraq. Let us give thanks to our wonderful and merciful God that this reunion turned out to be a happy one, and let us keep all of the families who lost a loved one in defense of our freedoms in our thoughts and prayers. Freedom certainly isn't free. We should never take it lightly, and we should be forever grateful to the brave men and women who are willing to fight to protect it.   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"