Army Girl

Scrapbook Memories

The car ride home was completely silent. My face was still slightly red and puffy but tears were no longer streaming down it. They were off, who knows when I'm going to see them again. At least I have a day until I have to go back to school.

I retreat to my room as soon as the car stops. This time, the door isn't getting unlocked for anyone.

I imediately faceplant onto my bed and I can feel tears welling up in my eyes again. I rest my head on my pillow and my eyes fall on a plastic bin on the shelf across from my bed. I slowly walk over to it and pull it off the shelf. It's got a bunch of random items inside but one that stands out to me. It's a scrap book. Gently pulling it out of the bin, I flip through pages and pages of pictures.

From our trip to disney when I was 6 to my middle school promotion 2 years ago, it's all there. Those happy memories aren't the ones that stand out to me now. The ones that I can't stop looking at are happy, but they're more than that. The days I waited for for so long and my favorite memories of all.

All taken at airports, and all involve tears. In them, you see a little blonde girl jumping up and hugging her parents, and in one of them, her big brother. These days will be ingraved in my mind, like I'm sure they are for other people. These were the days that my family came home. After being gone for months at a time, they never leave my mind. Then these days come, and I have never felt happier.

Nothing compares to the feeling when you see the people you love step out of the plane and into your arms. They made it home. They're safe.

Flipping to the end of the book, there are still some spaces that havent been filled yet. It's that moment that I know it in my heart, I will have another picture of them coming home. No if's, and's, or but's about it.