Matt Walden was deployed to Afghanistan in the fall of 2010. He left behind his wife, a daughter in college, one in high school and two young boys in elementary school. Matt would be serving in the military for two years in a third world county and miles away from home. He also knew there would be experiences lost and precious time that could never be recaptured, and this weighed heavily upon him.
My son David and Matt had been best friends for years, as well as their sons, Alec, (David's son) and the two Walden boys, Tyler and Connor. The two men had spent countless hours raising their children together in sports, church and school activities. They lived a block away from one another and had become more like family than friends.
Shortly after Matt was deployed to Afghanistan, David's company transferred him to a new location three hundred miles away from their quiet little neighborhood. Distance didn't seem to interfere with the bond of love and friendship that their families had for each other and they continued to keep in close touch.
Matt learned that his sons had a competition in the scouting program for the Pinewood Derby and he started his strategy. He ordered the kits for the cars and had them shipped to Afghanistan, where he shaped, sanded and painted them. (The boys are big Pittsburgh Steelers fans, so Matt painted one car black and the other one yellow.) One of Matt's service buddies offered to take the cars from Afghanistan to New York (while on leave) and there he shipped them on to David in Salt Lake City.
When David received the cars, he and Alec spent hours prepping the wheels, polishing the axles and adding just the right amount of weight for the cars sail down the runway. To assure the cars would arrive safely, David and Alec drove 300 miles (one way) and delivered them personally to Tyler and Connor for the competition.
While a war was being waged on the other side of the world, a father made it possible to be in his son's lives. The two pinewood cars had flown thousands of miles around the world. They had passed through the hands of three good men who understood the passion in the hearts of two little boys... and an American solder was able to celebrate the sweet taste of victory! Tyler's car took first place and Connor's car came in a close second!
We are all in this life together and when someone wins, we all win! What a blessing to know that friends can help you find peace among the broken pieces.
By Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day.
