Krispy Kreme donuts are probably one of the most deadly foods on the face of the earth. You can almost feel your arteries hardening as you eat them.

This morning, a box of Krispy Kreme donuts took on a totally different meaning.

My son left early today heading back to his base, the first leg of his return to Iraq in two weeks. We won’t see him for at least 15-18 months. The lingering thought that perhaps we won’t see him again is palpatable. Now begins anew the watching the news from that part of the world with a renewed and intense interest. I sincerely hate that.

Last night, he, his mother and I had a very long talk. We told him how proud we were of him and how it would have been impossible to have been given a better son. We told him that all of the stupid things he has done in the past were done in trying to live up to the lie that he has no real value; we told him that we know God has greater things already programmed in him. We told and expressed to him how much we love him.

I did something I’ve never done before with him or my other two precious children (this serves as fair warning to both of them — you, too, will receive something similar the next time we are together). I blessed him; I gave him a father’s blessing and the Father’s blessing. I spoke “good” into his life, I “prophesied” his future, I appealed to Abba to protect him with his angels and asked that Jeremy be able to sense them. His mother and I poured into him everything from a spiritual, emotional and physical nature that we had to offer.

He left to hang out with his friends for the last time, telling us he’d be back at 7:00 a.m. to go to the airport.

This morning, he knocked on the door. When I opened the door, he was standing there with a sad puppy dog expression on his face and offered a box of Krispy Kreme donuts to me. “I thought you might like these,” was all he said.

But it communicated so much more.

One last hug, a strong and lingering one, and he was gone. Just like that.

And all that I have left to show me that he was here is a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.

The funny thing is that they call out to me, in a lilting, soft voice, “I love you. Thank you….”