Military Missions Inc - Supporting Military, Veterans, and their Families
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
That’s probably the question that is most asked to little kids. You hear answers like a doctor, a fireman, a teacher, and so on.
I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. I still don’t think I know…. Other than being a great parent to my kids and an awesome grandparent to my 4 grandkids. Those are the things that make my world complete.
When my daughter was little, she knew she wanted to be a pediatric nurse, even before she could say pediatrician. I think she may have called it a baby doctor. Now, 20+ years later, what is she?? … A very skilled pediatric nurse. I am very proud of her. Not only for being a great RN but also for knowing at such a young age what she wanted and keeping that goal in sight until it was achieved.
When my son was little, he bounced from one title to another… but they always involved dressing up in dad’s old work uniforms and playing some sort of military games. As he got a little older, paintball games came into the picture. As a young kid, he could tag out a team of grown-ups in no time. He always strived to be the best at whatever he was doing. Other kids always seemed to look up to him and he became the natural leader of the group.
Looking back at this now, I don’t know why it still shocked me when he said “I’m joining the Marine Corps.” … It’s VERY clear now… “I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN WE WERE RAISING A MARINE!”
Originally published on comfycouchcommnd.com
It’s amazing how attached I’ve become to my cell phone while my son has been deployed. Maybe attached isn’t the right word… obsessed would be more accurate I think. It “must” be within 3 feet of me at all times. I do several pocket checks during the day to reassure me that it’s still there. Panic mode ensues if the phone happens to get out of sight or reach.
If you have received calls from a deployed loved one, you are familiar with how the numbers appear on the caller ID… just six digits. Each time you see those digits on the caller ID, it’s like the world stops for a split second. You stare at it for a moment as if you’ve forgotten how to hit the “answer” button. But you quickly come to your senses and scream to anyone in hearing range… “IT’S HIM!!!” After you answer the call, you are completely unaware of anything going on around you. Whether the call lasts 5 minutes or 45 minutes, the person on the other end of that call has your undivided attention the entire time.
I quickly realized that when these calls came in they were normally from the same number. So I decided I needed to give that number a “special” ringtone. Something that could be heard from about 2 miles away… something that would wake me from a dead sleep… something that would be unmistakable… I chose a ringtone that sounds like something you’d probably hear during a nuclear meltdown. When you hear “THE” ringtone it saves you a few seconds because you can skip the “staring at the phone” part and go straight to the “IT’S HIM!!!” part.
~This article was originally posted at comfy couch command~
Military Life… It’s a Family Thing
If you are reading this and you have a family member in the military, then you know the above statement is true. It not only has an effect on their spouse and kids, but also their parents, siblings, grandparents… and other family and friends.
Now, I’m not saying this is a bad thing…
For example, your family will develop a strong sense of American pride. I have to admit, pretty much everything in my house is red, white, and blue or flag motif. I was a proud American before but more so now.
Your family will also develop a new kind of respect for the troops that protect our country. They give up so much, go through so much, and put their life on the line for us… Let me say that again… THEY PUT THEIR LIFE ON THE LINE FOR US. They deserve our respect and our support. Even if we don’t always support the reason behind it, we need to support the people that are doing it.
So I guess what I’m basically saying is that once you have a loved one in the military, your life will forever be changed. Some changes will be good and some not so good, but hopefully the good will outweigh the bad in the end.
As you can see from the picture I used for this article, even the family pet wants to get involved. I found her trying to stow away in a care package. No one family member knows exactly how the other family members are affected… each person has their own way of coping (this blog article is one of mine) … and their own set of things they worry about…
But I assure you “it’s a family thing”.
~This article was originally posted by author here~
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