A soldier came home just in time to hand her brother his high school diploma and the moment left an entire auditorium in tears.
Military reunions are always hard to watch without getting teary-eyed. There are dads, moms, sisters, and brothers out there serving leaving their loved ones behind. Every single day their families are counting down waiting for that one moment to finally hold them again. And for one brother in Milwaukee that moment came right in the middle of his graduation.
Kalen Barksdale was walking across the stage at Milwaukee Lutheran High School in Wisconsin to graduate. Everything seemed normal. Staff called his name. He walked up. Then they told him there was a problem. They couldn’t find his diploma.
The speaker stalled for a moment and then said “Sometimes the most important deliveries take a little longer than expected especially when they’re coming from so far away.”
And that’s when she walked in.
His sister, Specialist Barksdale, appeared at the back of the auditorium in full military uniform. She had been serving with the 2127th Infantry Battalion overseas for over a year. Kalen had not seen her once during his entire senior year.
Standing at the back she spoke into the mic. “To my brother, I will cross the ocean a million times for you. I praise God for bringing me home to you safely for your big milestone.”
Then she walked down the aisle carrying his diploma.
Kalen came down to meet her and right there in the aisle, they shared a warm hug and he just took her in his arms. I don’t know how anyone in that room kept it together.
The principal said it best. “Today this diploma is not being delivered by a staff member or an administrator. It’s being delivered by someone who is special to the graduate.”
There are thousands of military members and their families right now waiting for that same moment. Husbands waiting to hold their wives. Parents waiting to see their kids walk through the door. Brothers and sisters counting the days.
Let’s pray for every one of them. Lord we ask You to hold them in Your arms, keep them safe, and bring them home to the people who love them. May they experience Your love in every step of their journey and know they are never alone. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.
WATCH: Military Sister Surprises Brother With His Diploma at Graduation
