Thursday 10/8/2020
Hi Jaxon! I have a story to tell you and I can type faster than I can write so this will be a typed letter. My informed delivery (mail delivery, images of letters etc) says that we have letters coming from you today! I am so excited!
In Conference Sat morning Sister Craig, First Counselor in the General Young Women’s, gave a talk and this is something she shared, it is very pertinent to my story.
Sister Craig - Even in our busy lives, we can follow the example of Jesus and see individuals—their needs, their faith, their struggle, and who they can become.
As I pray for the Lord to open my eyes to see things I might not normally see, I often ask myself two questions and pay attention to the impressions that come: “What am I doing that I should stop doing?” and “What am I not doing that I should start doing?”
Months ago, during the sacrament, I asked myself these questions and was surprised by the impression that came. “Stop looking at your phone when you are waiting in lines.” Looking at my phone in lines had become almost automatic; I found it a good time to multitask, catch up on email, look at headlines, or scroll through a social media feed.
The next morning, I found myself waiting in a long line at the store. I pulled out my phone and then remembered the impression I had received. I put my phone away and looked around. I saw an elderly gentleman in line ahead of me. His cart was empty except for a few cans of cat food. I felt a little awkward but said something really clever like, “I can see you have a cat.” He said that a storm was coming, and he did not want to be caught without cat food. We visited briefly, and then he turned to me and said, “You know, I haven’t told anyone this, but today is my birthday.” My heart melted. I wished him a happy birthday and offered a silent prayer of thanks that I had not been on my phone and missed an opportunity to truly see and connect with another person who needed it.
With all of my heart I do not want to be like the priest or the Levite on the road to Jericho—one who looks and passes by. But too often I think I am.
Fast Forward to Wednesday, yesterday. I was mailing you a letter and it was just a little to heavy so I needed a .15 stamp for the extra ounce. I pulled up to the post office (it’s a booth outside right now because they are moving into a new building) and see a long line. So I decide that it’s okay that I will wait in line. An elderly man gets in line right behind me wearing a black mask, we are all about 6ft apart. I felt that this man looked at me and then a lady, a couple spots ahead of me and isn’t thrilled we don’t have masks on. So I ignore him and get on my phone. I check my messages and look at Facebook and then I think of Sis. Craig’s talk. So I decide to put my phone in my purse and look at the people around me. I look back at the man behind me, he has on tan pants and he has tried to tuck them into black cowboy boots (that are totally shiny), tan shirt tucked in with a black belt, then I glance at his hat and it says National Army Museum. I look down and think, I wonder if he is an Army veteran and I start to get emotional. So I take a deep breathe, look at him, make eye contact and ask “Did you serve in the Army or do you just like the hat?” He replies “I served in the Army”. So I say “That’s Awesome” to which he replies “Depends on how you feel about things”.
I was sad at his response, the world is messed up. I tell him “I have something to say but I will probably get emotional” and then “Yep, I am emotional”. He just patiently waited, looking kindly at me. Then I said with a quivering voice “My son is at boot camp” Then he asked where etc. and I was able to talk with him. Found out he was an instructor for years, was in the Army for 30 years and loved it. Has taught/instructed at Fort Benning and other bases, he mentioned Missouri and California also, he couldn’t remember the names of all of them. He said that he was Airborne and had learned to jump with parachutes and all of that. I told him about your drill sergeants and he said the reason they are so good is because they are not full of BS. That they know their stuff and care about who they are training. They have a purpose. He said he had been a First Sergeant at one point in his career and had drill sergeants under him and they hated him. That he always deflated their egos. That they were full of BS and ego and he didn’t like it so he would take them down a few notches.
We were in line for almost 20 minutes, he also said that he had joined the Army because college just wasn’t for him. But then he ended up teaching at College and spending time on bases still instructing. At one point he said “Don’t worry about your son Momma, he is going to be fine. He sounds like he is going to do great in the Army.” I got emotional again (I have to point out, I held it together! Never cried or lost it. My voice just wouldn’t stay steady sometimes) I responded with “Actually I am not worried at all. I just miss him.” He nodded at me, inferring that was good that I wasn’t worried. Even though he wore a mask I know he was smiling and then then we talked more about his time at Fort Benning etc. I kept wanting to say something like “Thank You for your service” but I just KNEW I would lose it and be the crazy lady crying at the post office. So instead when he was telling me about being an instructor I said “I bet you made a lot of difference and influenced a lot of people.” He shrugged and said “I hope So”. I then made sure I was looking him straight in the eye and said “I know you did because my son will never forget his instructors.” He was quiet and nodded.
Jaxon I saw this man square his shoulders and grow bigger the more we talked. He was an elderly man but can you imagine the young man he was once. A First Sargent, an Airborne, an instructor, he had a family. He said one time he only came home 3 times during part of his service. He loved training and instructing, he only stopped when they told him he had to. He said he was sad the day his last check came and he knew he was done. That he had just kept finding new ways to serve as he grew older in the Army. That he loved it.
During this conversation I noticed a lady behind this veteran and she was always smiling at us and listening. So in a lull of our conversation I looked her in the eyes and she spoke up and said “I was 9 years old when my brother joined the Navy and I will never forget it. I cried every time I talked to him but he was my hero. I didn’t see him very much but it was okay and I will never forget it.” The veteran looked behind him and stepped to the side so he could turn and see both of us and then three of us talked for a while about letters and technology, like the fact we in our age are so used to having our phones and what a transition it is when now you don’t. How our family has gotten used to letters and that we all write to you. The veteran said that is all he had in his day. There were no personal phones to use and how he received letters too.
I told them both “Thank you for talking to me” when it was my turn at the window finally. And then I was talking to the lady at the window, who knows me, it’s Kuna you know. :) I told her I needed a page of .15 stamps so that I could just add one when I needed to and that I needed regular stamps too. She asked what kind of regular stamps and I said “Flags, I hear they require the least amount of push-ups”. She stopped and turned to me and said with a big smile “You know what, you are absolutely correct, lets find you some flag stamps.” (I don’t even know why I said that. You are the push-up king.) She couldn’t find a book and and I didn’t want her to keep looking because the line was still long so I told her to just give me a whole roll (I could see those in her drawer) and that I would use them for work too. We talked a min about all her computer problems and needing to be in the new building and then I was ready to go. As I turned to leave both the veteran and woman in line raised up their hand and waved at me, both telling me to “Have a great day”, with big smiles (pretty sure the veteran was smiling even though he still wore his black mask). I told them the same thing, waved and left.
I might have lost it in the car. I think the post office is a dangerous place. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha I am really glad I was able to talk to both of them and I hope it brightened their days. I hope that veteran feels more important and knows there is a lot of us that support the Army, the US’ Military branches. That he is proud of who he is. He seemed so sad when I first spoke with him, when he wasn’t sure if I really thought it was awesome. You could tell that the unrest in the world weighed on his shoulders. That he felt like he was a dying breed and that he wasn’t appreciated. I never could say ‘Thank You for your service”. It just couldn’t come out without me making a fool of myself but I am sure he felt it from me. And the moment he realized I was an Army Mom he changed. He changed before my eyes and the woman behind us was wonderful to join with us.
I hope you enjoy this story. I am so glad I put my phone away and spoke with him. He is a great man and needed to feel important and powerful again. Don’t worry about me at all. I promise I wasn’t a mental case. It was my love for you and the spirit that brought out my shaking voice and had me crying later. To much emotion, to much spirit. The other day Madison asked me “What is wrong with you, did you take something.” Inferring I was on caffeine, that I was too awake and happy. I told her “No, I’m just filled with the spirit” She laughed and said “Oh no, that’s almost worse.” and then gave me a big hug and smiled.
We are all okay here! Heavenly Father has been taking special care of us. I feel like we are receiving blessings at home for what you are willing to do. Your righteousness and desire to serve and do what you know your Heavenly Father wants you to do blesses all of us here at home. I love you Jaxon and I am so proud of you. I can’t express how proud. I bore my testimony in church last month and I brought up your accident last August and almost accident last July. And that Heavenly Father watches out for us and takes care of us while teaching us valuable lessons and prompting us to follow his path. President Christensen was there and he came up afterwards and told me “Your son Jaxon has a birthright, sometimes that is an amazing blessing to us because they will be protected because of that birthright. He will fulfill his birthright, Sister Kingsbury.” I want you to know you have the support of your stake president, that he knows you are doing what you are meant to do. You have so much support son! Everybody asks about you and nobody is surprised that you are a beast! I better go now. I have almost written you a book. I need to do billing, dishes, laundry, study my scriptures, all of those day to day things. I love you Jaxon Kingsbury!
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