I have had nearly a week to digest the fact that my oldest daughter is really several states away from me, training to be a soldier in the United States Army. Where did the time go? Not just the last week, but the last 21 years of having daily conversations with her...even if some of them were by text messages. I think back to the day she came home from kindergarten in tears. After many hugs, she explained to me that it was "Brown Week" in her class. Another child had innocently remarked that brown was the ugliest crayon in the crayon box. Because of her darker skin complexion, my innocent little 5 year old had felt ugly. In my eyes, nothing could have been further from the truth. After a few more hugs and a couple of cookies, my daughter's feelings were soothed.
Now, hugs and cookies will not be as easily given. All the love and support I can offer to her must now be handwritten or condensed into a hurried, unexpected phone call. How can anyone understand the pride and fear you feel when your child decides to put the safety of our country before their own well-being?
I encourage each of you to share your own story about having a military son or daughter. Together, we may just make it through the Basic Training each of us, as parents, also must endure.
