I Wore a Yellow Ribbon & Wrote My Brother Every Day

I told my husband that an image I saw on the news about the war in Ukraine the night before really affected me.

He quickly commented that there are probably also some past memories from my childhood that have cropped up, from when I was 15, and my brother was a sniper in the Marines, on the front lines of the 1st Gulf War.

My mouth dropped with the realization he was right.

My first association with war, at an age when I could understand what it meant, was as a teenager when my brother was on the front lines.

I found this page of photos from 1990 in my scrapbooks today — I even kept the yellow ribbon I wore.

I remember I wrote my brother every day while he was there.

He wrote me back as often as he could. I still have his letters.

Tears come up as I write this. It was really a scary time, and I remember he and I both questioning war.

Most of you reading this probably also have memories connected to war.

I wanted to share this today because not only are you feeling emotions about what is happening in Ukraine and the horrible actions by Putin, you may also be experiencing some emotions connected to past memories and fearful times.

Be gentle with yourselves.