HOPE
Hope is an interesting subject for me. When I was a kid I hoped to serve my country. To make my parents proud. In the teams I hoped my teammates came home – but understood we may not. Now being a husband and father – perspective on Hope has changed quite a bit.
My current hope is to spend more time with my wife and kids. My biggest daily struggle is finding balance between work and family time. I absolutely understand the reason I go out and leave my family for days on end – to get the stories of my fallen brothers out to the public, to inspire, to give hope to someone who has completely lost it. I believe God gave me a purpose. Some people think because my experience is a book and a movie, it's easy to talk about. It's not and it never will be. The reason I do it is to motivate others and to keep my teammates memories alive. How do I pick a stopping point and close the door on my responsibility to my teammates?
I HOPE that one day, that is an easy choice to make. I HOPE my teammates and their families understand. I HOPE I don’t regret that decision when I make it. I HOPE their memories don’t fade when I do.
My day-to-day hope comes from my family. My kids are old enough to run when they see me and scream daddy when I come home - and I bend down and grab them and throw them around. Coolest damn feeling in the world! Wish I could make time stop and enjoy this a little longer before school and friends take up their time and I’m the embarrassing dad yelling from the audience at the school play or football game. I HOPE they understand and know how much I love them and hope I raise them to be God-fearing, respectful, intelligent, purposeful adults.
Focusing on Hope and Love is new for me. I guess you have to go through hell to find out what true happiness can be and to appreciate it. I thank God for showing me what love and hope is.
Marcus Luttrell is a retired United States Navy SEAL. He received the Navy Cross for his actions in 2005 facing Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wing. He is the author of the best-selling book 'Lone Survivor'.