He's comin' home!!!

I finally caught up with our middle son this afternoon. He's stationed in Germany, and will be coming home next month.
I knew he was scheduled for some time off, but we never know until a little before he leaves whether it's going to work out. He's finalized his flight in, and given us a pickup time.
He'll get to be home for about a month, so my mom is planning on cooking an early Thanksgiving so he can celebrate with us. He's always liked 'green stuff' (pistachio salad) so I'm sure that will be on the menu.
We really have an old-fashioned, right-out-of-Southern Living spread at Thanksgiving and Christmas - turkey and dressing (my mother's is always just right), sweet potato casserole, peas, butter beans, rolls, cranberry sauce (the kind that slides right out of the can), and usually some great salads and casseroles. Coconut cake and pies - who can argue with that kind of meal?
I'm so looking forward to seeing him - he's never met his nephew (whose birthday was yesterday) and he's only seen some of the other nieces and nephews a few times, so he's in for a real treat. I'm sure we'll have to arrange some kind of day just for the kids to crawl around on him and let him know how proud they are of him.
I'm very proud of my son and all the others who serve our country- even if they serve in peacetime, they make a sacrifice no one else can imagine, and they don't ask for any recognition - I remember the first time we picked him up at the airport - a group of folks from a military support group were there, and every time a few soldiers came through the gate, they stood and applauded. Most of the men and women looked slightly embarrassed, as if they'd prefer to just walk on without all the attention. Next time you see a soldier or other military person, say thank you...