Thirty Days of Thankful- Day 23

Day 23

I saw this picture and caption on a friends FB page. Today I am thankful for lots of things this picture represents. The man who was willing to sacrifice the ultimate for my freedom, the guard that stands watch over his casket and wife before his funeral, but mostly I am thankful that love like this exists. There is not much more to say

Two days after she was notified of Jim’s death in Iraq, she found out they would have a boy. Born on December 23, 2005, he was named James Jeffrey Cathey, Jr. The night before the burial of her husband’s body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of “Cat,” and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. “I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,” she said. “I think that’s what he would have wanted.”