Mom, I have bad news

Why do these words strike terror in the hearts of us moms?

My United States Marine son called me a few days ago. 

Phone: ringing

Mom: Hello?

Son: Mom, I have bad news.

Mom: not nervous full of anxiety…What’s the matter son?

Son: I won’t be coming home before deployment.  Actually, they changed our deployment date to August 27th. AND we are deploying to Pakistan.

Mom: silence

Son: You there, Mom?

Mom: Yes, just stunned.

I have been prepared for his deployment for years…even before he was a Marine. I always knew he would be a Marine and that deployment goes along with that.

But, the reality of it being here and being here sooner than I planned for, and heading to Pakistan, wasn’t what I was planned for.

Looking back on this little boy…curly blonde hair, big brown eyes and incredible smile, makes me want to kiss him all over. I used to dance with him in my arms, swing him over and over ‘til my arms hurt, and kiss all his boo-boos.

He is now 6’ 1”, still blonde, still has beautiful brown eyes and that smile is just as big as when he was little.  And he still lets me kiss him and dance with him! We just dance ballroom now!

 

So, in less than 2 weeks, my little boy grown man leaves on a carrier for Pakistan. Taking with him all the love he can carry from  his family and God.

Pakistan has had tremendous amounts of flooding. So, the Marines are going in for relief work as well as possible hostilities with the Taliban.

Our son will be in logistics so we aren’t sure what his responsibilities will be.

He will be working towards peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan until May of 2011.

We will miss him beyond words, we will cry with him when he leaves, we will keep track of his MUE, we will pray daily for his safety, we will run with open arms to welcome  him back to American soil and the safety of his family in May, we will never let a day go by that we don’t have his name on our lips.

*On a last minute notice:  he gets to come home (outa the blue) for this coming weekend! We will actually get to see him for 3 days before he heads out to serve his country.

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