[AZTarHeel]

It was Christmas Eve 2006, and as usual the Zarzour farm/household in Bunn, NC was all decked out for the season. Andrew's mom left nothing untouched with lights, decorations, candles, garland, potpourri, etc. It took a whole outbuilding on the farm to store Mrs. Zarzour's Christmas stuff during the rest of the year, so by golly she was going to use it when late November and December rolled around.

Just before 5 p.m., as per usual, John the mailman came around. As per usual on the day before Christmas, Mrs. Zarzour had left him a nice tin full of cookies and treats (as well as a generous tip). The mailman, who had served the area for more than 20 years, in turn gave her a big, plainly wrapped package.

"Look who it's from," he said with a grin. "My word, my word, my word."

The address said Teaneck, N.J., but the name on it gave Elizabeth Zarzour a gasp. It was from her youngest son, Timmy, who was still serving with the Marines in Afghanistan (as far as everyone knew). Apparently he had sent the package via a friend who had returned from his overseas duty several weeks earlier.

The Zarzour family couldn't wait until Christmas morning to open the present, so they dug into it after eating their Christmas Eve dinner. There were a lot of knick-knacks and gifts inside, even some special coffee from Afghanistan that was stronger than anyone had ever tasted in their lives.

The most prized part of the gift, though, was a hand-written letter from Timmy. It was two pages and was incredibly upbeat throughout, despite his admission that times were hard and that he grieved "beyond belief" for friends who had been killed or badly injured. He talked a lot about how his faith in God kept him from giving up and giving in to despair.

The family wept as Andrew read the letter (himself stumbling through it). It was probably the most honest and open Timmy had ever been with his feelings that they could remember. The last part is what got them the most:

"If all goes well, I hope to be home by late summer," Timmy wrote. "Please keep praying for us these next few months as we need it more than you'll ever know. Things could get more dangerous than they've ever been. Never forget how much I love each one of you and how my heart aches to see you again, to hug you and to just be with you. I will be praying for you as well. All my love, Timmy"

At the end of the letter, Timmy had added a little PS to his big brother, using a different pen. "Hey Drew, I'm not sure yet what I want to do with my life when I get home (ha ha -- at least that hasn't changed). I'll probably rest a bit, then I think I'd like to try my hand at being a baseball player. Think you can help me? You always said I had pretty good skills as a catcher. Maybe there is some Single A team that needs an old war vet behind the dish..."