OPINION
This week, three different kinds of homecoming are on my mind. One that was 75 years in the making.
One that happens each year.
One that has happened for a year.
It was my great honor this week to tell the story of Andrew "Sonny" Tischler, who is finally coming home to rest next to his parents after being missing in action during the Korean War.
Speaking to his two nieces, I got to hear them bring him to life—Willene Crutsinger with her own memories, and Beth Robbs with those her mother has shared with her.
I can't imagine the pain of 75 years of uncertainty, wanting to know what happened to a loved one without knowing if answers would ever come.
It brought tears to my eyes as I heard the joy and relief in their voices and again as I worked to tie their stories together to honor his life and service with the article of his longawaited homecoming.
Next is the homecoming that Aubrey High School will celebrate on Friday.
I'll get to be in the stands as a band mom, taking in the pomp and circumstance that will become the memories my kids and their classmates will remember when they look back on their school days. I hope that the kids will get to make happy memories on Friday together, and it will be fun to watch that process happen in real time. The third type of homecoming is one that feels extra special to me this week.
On Saturday, my husband and I will celebrate our first wedding anniversary.
I am so grateful that he is the home I return to, because he has become my home, wherever we are.
I am truly grateful that one year ago, he stood with me in my parents' living room in Hamilton, Texas, and promised to love me for the rest of our lives.
Thank you, Jim Bardwell, for being my partner and my sweetheart.
May this week of homecoming bring you joy.
I know it will for me.
Abigail Bardwell is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal, and she serves on both the North and East Texas Press Association and the Texas Press Association boards. She can be reached at [email protected].
