Young Girl Has No Clue Deployed Mother Will Show Up At Her School Concert

Mar 24, 2020 by apost team

Fourteen months is a long time, and to a young teen, fourteen months feels even longer than it may to an adult. To a young teen missing her deployed mother, fourteen months feels like a lifetime. At this 2018 Christmas concert in central Indiana, that young teen was about to have a big surprise.

Kids of active military members face challenges many other teens do not. True, they can see their parents via video chat sometimes and there are emails. But that is not the same as having mom or dad home to share all the little moments.

In schools, administration and teachers try to be sensitive to students who have a parent serving abroad. They know that underneath the brave faces a lot of these kids put on for the public, there is sacrifice. Missed games, empty seats at concerts, quieter holidays. Talks about stresses of growing up are harder over Skype vs side by side in the car; sharing troubles is tougher when you don’t want your deployed parent to worry.

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And at the base of it all is the unspoken fear that every conversation may be the last, and that your parent may not be walking back into your life. One young girl in a now-viral video sings gallantly with her friends in a school performance. To her, it is another concert minus her mother, who as far the girl knows is thousands of miles away in Africa.

At the end of the harmonious song, a school official comes onstage and briefly talks about the importance of family being together. The girl listens politely, obviously not thinking this has anything to do with her at all. Even when she hears that someone who has been away a year is in the audience, he still quietly waits for someone else to get a joyful surprise.

But when the woman says the magic words, “Tonight we have someone who has been serving in Africa,” the young lady realizes her mom must be nearby. When mom steps on stage from the side curtains, the girl races to her. The two hug in a moving mother-daughter embrace as their tears begin to flow.

Though we can’t hear their words, it is possible to tell what they are saying. Mom says to her beloved daughter, “Are you happy?” The girl is too overcome to even speak, and Mom says, “So am I.”

It's no wonder this video has been viewed over 13 million times and counting.

This beautiful video serves as a testimony of the sacrifice not only made by our military but by their families as well. Spread this lovely clip with others so we can all remember to thank and support those who give so much so we can have peace.