a little late

Talk about technologically out of it (or sorta...)...

Last night, as everyone was becoming aware of Bin Laden's death, I was in Harris Teeter for another round of super double couponing (that, and the necessities of milk and eggs which we were out of). When I arrived home (10-something pm), hubs and I sat down for a bowl of ice cream (ok, so maybe I picked up a few extra things too...) and we hulu'd last week's Amazing Race episode. I have twitter turned off to my cell after 10p ('cause my goal is bed at 10p each night, not that it actually happens!) so we had no idea until waking up this morning to everyone's tweets.

I watched Obama's speech, then went into blog-land. I immediately turned to the military wife bloggers that I read. [One outcome of our "dead end" road to Army Chaplaincy has been that I have added several new wonderful military spouse blogs to my reader. I have enjoyed getting to know these gals quoted below, as well as several others that are stationed all over the globe!]
I wanted to hear from spouses whose husbands courageously serve and had universally a hand in this take-down. How were military families reacting?

Army wife Megan at "To Love a Soldier" gives us a glimpse. She writes,

I will remember this day for a long time. I will remember telling my husband who didn't know yet. I will forever remember watching his face while he listened to the President speak through the speakers of Skype. I will remember him saying, "This is a good day for justice." I will remember my tears, the goosebumps, how much my body shook. I will remember. And I will hold onto this day.

But as my husband said tonight, "This is not over." This does not mean my husband will come home sooner. This does not mean his next deployment won't happen. This does not mean we are safe. This war is not over. Understand that.

Coast Guard wife Courtney at The Mommy Matters, reflects,

This won’t be the end of the war with Al-Qaida. Not at all. I won’t stop praying for the men and women overseas. But for tonight, I will rejoice in the victory for the United States and the men & women in uniform who have fought tirelessly to bring justice to the lost souls of the Al-Qaida attacks. I will rejoice relentlessly for the fact that not a single American life was lost today when Bin Laden was killed.

Army Chaplain wife Monica at Daily Dwelling, points readers to Psalm 102:25-27 & reminds us,

It is comforting to know that our God is the same.

He will always remain.

Yesterday

today

and tomorrow.

We serve a God who is always there, never changing, and never ending.

Thank you for the reminders, ladies. Thank you for a glimpse of your reaction to the news.

I just want to, again, say thank you to the men, women, and families that serve our country tirelessly. They repeatedly put their lives in danger to find and destroy terrorists and the ideals they hold. They defend our country and defend her honor as well as her citizens' safety.

As to my opinion? I celebrate the justice of his death. The death of a man that intends to kill and destroy (& has) without restraint, in order to establish a pure Islamic nation, can't help but evoke a sense of relief. He was the evil instigator behind so many American lives lost. That being said, I don't believe that God intends for us to revel or brag about our conquest. We must constantly be on guard. Satan prowls like a roaring lion, seeking to devour.

I guess the bottom line comes down to that I'm not rejoicing over one death, but rather the number of lives now spared. I grieve that Bin Laden most likely did not have a saving relationship with Christ. (Although I do not have the power to read a man's heart, his actions and words surely suggest that he did not know Christ as His Savior). He is now suffering eternally in a lake of fire. As a Christian, that just hurts my heart for him. A free gift was his for the taking, but was (most likely) rejected. While it doesn't come down to differences of religious practices, it does come down to a single relationship.

How about you? How is your family reacting to the news? Did you catch the news live or late like I did? ;)