"Hey guys, so I don't usually do this kind of thing but, a viral social media challenge was brought to my attention by my students today that I just, I couldn't ignore it. If you're not aware of it it's called the 22 Push Up Challenge."
Meredith Beale had been passing by on her way inside the house when she came to a stop and stood on her porch, watching her daughter from a distance. She could hear quite clearly what Chloe was saying, the benefit of owning a lake house that was secluded and what she could hear made her take pause.
"So, if you're following me on Instagram you probably know by now that my wife is a soldier in the US military fighting overseas," Chloe explained as she sat on the grass, her arms perched upon her knees, her phone gripped firmly in one hand.
"I think about her every day, worry mostly, about whether or not she's okay. But mostly I worry about the future and what will happen when she comes home," Chloe paused as she felt herself getting choked up, she gazed out over the lake and took a moment to collect herself before returning her attention to her phone.
"Every day 22 US Veterans commit suicide. People who bravely fought for our country just gone like that," Chloe emphasises her point with a snap of her fingers.
"I don't know about you guys but for me that's just completely unacceptable. I've seen first hand what these people give to their country, the sacrifices they make so that our freedom is protected. But who's there to protect them when they come home?".
Meredith Beale felt herself get emotional listening to her daughter speak. She loved Beca Mitchell like she were her own daughter and she prayed for her and her safety every night, but she had to be honest and admit that wrapped up in her comfy bubble, there were times when she too was guilty of forgetting about the sacrifices that were being made to keep her homeland safe on a daily basis.
It was so easy to tune it out, the age old motto out of sight, out of mind ringing true. But listening to her daughter, she could hear the pain and longing in her voice, something that could be easily missed by an outsider, but not by a mother.
She knew Chloe missed Beca, knew how worried and scared she was of waking up every day and finding out the unthinkable had happened, but in this moment, she understood that the depth of that pain ran much deeper.
Chloe feared the future, she feared what being in the military and the horrors of war would do to her wife, if or when she returned home, and in that moment, Meredith felt that feeling of despair at the thought of Beca or any soldier being so broken to the point they would take their own life and she grew angry.
Angry at the government for not doing more to protect their returning soldiers, angry at herself and everyone else who failed to do more than offer up a simple thank you. In that moment, Meredith Beale realised more needed to be done, she just had to figure out what. Turning her attention back to Chloe she listened as her daughter continued her little speech.
"I love my wife more than anything, and I want nothing more than for her to come home. But I also want to know that when she does, the support she needs, from me, from us, from the country she is fighting so hard to protect, will be there for her and for all the soldiers who make it home."
Chloe pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit down to stop herself from getting too emotional. She didn't want this to be an angry post. She wanted to it to be a reminder to everyone to think about the long term effect war has on the soldiers who do come home. It doesn't just end once they leave a war zone behind, it stays with them for the rest of their lives.
"That's why I'm supporting this challenge. I wanna thank my students for bringing me here to this cause, all the soldiers fighting for the cause, and I nominate Aubrey Posen, Jesse Swanson, Jessica Smith, Ashley Jones and my three older brothers to take part in the 22 Push Up Challenge."
Leaning her phone against one of the rocks of her mothers flower rockery, Chloe positioned herself and then began her set, thankful that she kept herself in shape as she began to feel the burn at push up number 15. Once she was done, she picked up her phone and stood up, turning her back towards the lake so that it was in full view on her phone.
"They're fighting for us, so now it's time that we fight for them. I want a better future for our soldiers, if you do too, make your voices be heard because, they deserve it, simple as that."
With that Chloe hit stop and typed up the hashtag caption and hit post. Within a minute, her brothers had posted comments squabbling over who could complete the challenge in the fastest time. Friends and family members commented with sweet messages, others left nothing more than a simple heart emoji.
After another brief moment, Chloe pulled up a picture of her and Beca, their arms wrapped around one another, foreheads touching, both with smiles on their faces and after hesitating for a moment, she posted it on her Instagram with a caption that read.
'I loved you then, I love you now and I will love you forever.'
Meredith Beale's phone chimed to alert her to new notifications, she looked down and noticed it was from Instagram and opened the app. There right in front of her eyes, was the very picture Chloe had just posted, and with the softest smile, she hit like and put her phone down. Gazing up at the ceiling she heaved out a sigh.
"Please God, if you're to answer any of my prayers, bring that girl home to us."