I'm Not MIA

I haven’t been around the blogosphere much lately. It wasn’t planned, it just happened, suddenly—unexpectedly, but, truth be told, I needed the break. After my last post, I found myself feeling quite frustrated. I was reading posts and comments that were upsetting me and making me feel angry. Plus, the whole Madison/Walker/Union fiasco had me on a fence, because I could SEE both sides, but didn’t want to PICK a side. It was just too much, and I knew if I stayed in the fray it would consume me.

I began posting on my other blog, where I could let loose on a wider range of topics and be less stringent and not have to research so much. It’s been fun, but I find that I do miss the political arena. Which puts me into another conundrum.

Recently I found out that my son, who joined the Army National Guard, WANTS to be deployed after Basic Training this October. He informed his father and me that he wants to fight in a place like Afghanistan for 2 years before he goes to college. This information, needless to say, hit my husband and I like a ton of bricks. While we admire our son’s courageous nature, we are fearful, especially now, with all the upheaval in the Middle East. I’m no expert on that region and I’ve purposely avoided researching it because I know ME. If I immerse myself into research I won’t be available to my family and right now, I need to spend as much time with my son as I possibly can—he leaves for basic training at the end of June. Once he’s deployed I know I’ll involve myself – I’ll have to—then. But now, now I can pretend he’s mine, because he is. But once he turns his life over to the Army, I’ll be forced to let go.

So, I can’t get into the Middle East and the war and Libya right now. To me, it’s not happening, because someday soon it will BE my life.

I’ll be on the political blogging track again…when I’m ready—I’m just not ready today.

Veterans Day

Thank you for all you’ve done.

For the sacrifices you made so that I didn’t have to make any.

Thank you for sleeping on the hard ground so that I could sleep in my warm bed.

Thank you for eating out of a nappy sack so I could eat at my kitchen table.

Thank you for wearing the same clothes, day after day, so I could wear clean clothing.

Thank you for staring at a picture of your loved one so that I could hold mine.

Thank you for reading letters from family and friends so that I could talk to mine.

Thank you, Dear Veteran, for your courage and honor.

Thank you for defending our Country so that I could live within her freely and safely.

For that I will always be grateful.