My Soldier Son Came Home After Five Years — And Found Me Scrubbing Floors While They Sat Watching

pulled me into an embrace.

Not a quick, perfunctory hug. Not a polite greeting between family members who haven’t seen each other in a while.

A real embrace. The kind he used to give me when he was a little boy afraid of thunderstorms, when nightmares had chased him from his bed and only my arms could make the world safe again. The kind that said you continue reading …