the power of a smile

The shortest distance between two people is a smile.  

~Author Unknown

My sweet son is in his last days at RTC . He graduates  next week! 

His division's finals days will be filled with challenges~

final PFAs, inspections, drills, Captain's Cup

and Battle Stations. 

We received a short phone call on Monday~ a reward for a perfect

score on an inspection. My son sounded great, a bit weary, 

but upbeat and ready to wrap this thing up! 

On Tuesday, we got the best gift ever! 

Recruit Training Command's FaceBook page

 has two contests weekly. One of our division moms 

WON Tuesday's trivia game (no small feat, as there

 are MANY parents, spouses, etc playing). 

The prize~ A DIVISION PHOTO!!

So, with no further ado~ I  present 

Ship 7 USS CHICAGO Division 327

83 strong and lookin' good in their NWUs!!! 

 A photo from boot camp is a treasure!!! Winning the contest
is the only way to get a photo from boot camp.
It is just amazing to have this peek 

at the division! And best of all... look at those GRINS!!!!
They were told what the photo was for! They know their moms,
 dads, wives, girlfriends, etc will

see this photo. I love their beautiful smiles!
 LOVE THEM!

This photograph is a treasure. 

And where is my SR?
He is on the very top of the heap~ top upper right,

CLIMBING (oh, how he loves to climb) on something

and rocking the best smile ever!!

That's my boy! 

Note his collar device~ He is a Recruit Petty Office.

~Port Watch Section Leader~ 

That smile is a beautiful sight.

See you soon, son! 

~♥~

I ♥ the mail carrier!

What a wonderful thing is the mail,

 capable of conveying across continents 

a warm human hand-clasp.  

~Author Unknown

The Navy teaches you things, lots of things~ 

like an appreciation for the U.S. Postal Service. 

In these days of instant communication, the thought of waiting

for a letter seems rather quaint, but when a loved-one

is in boot camp, letters become golden.

So far I've gotten two~ the form letter

and a nice 3 page letter last Friday.

It was so good to "hear" my son's "voice",

to see his new "military handwriting".

He is doing well and says parts of boot camp

are FUN!! And some parts suck.
He has made some friends and is learning
to deal with sleep deprivation.
He misses us.

Today he started his 4th week and graduation

on 9/30 doesn't seem so far away anymore! 

I am so proud of him. He is working hard

to become a Sailor, but...

he is still my boy, my sweet son who remembers

that his mom likes to know where her babies sleep.

So, this made my day. 

~♥~

up, up and away...

At this time next week my son will be at MEPS

doing his final swearing-in. We will send him off

with love, prayers and encouragement! 

Today I am mostly excited, ready for his

great adventure to begin! 

I keep thinking about how important it is 

to have the right attitude. I want my son to go

forth with confidence and determination. 

I can ask no less of myself! I want to focus

on the positive and radiate peace as I support

my son and learn to navigate my new life

with a less full nest. It's all good.

~♥~

tick tock~tick tock

So, now we are down to 11 days until our son ships out... 

which is actually 10 days because he has to be at the recruiting

office at 3:00 the day before, then on to a hotel for the night.

We can take him out for dinner that night as long as we stay 

very close by (preferably in the hotel) and have him in 

his room by 10:00pm.We will go to MEPS  the next

day to see him do the final swearing-in 

(the "no turning back, you're in the Navy now" one) 

and  then say good-bye. Some parents go to the airport and

 hang out, but unless our son requests this, I think I'll pass. 

I can only take so many farewells.

Things seem surreal. It is hard for me to imagine him gone,

despite the 10 months we have known this date.

I am very excited, proud and grateful for this opportunity

for my son, but it is bittersweet. 

I don't even know what to do these last days.

He seems quiet and a bit withdrawn. I know this 

is not unusual and is part of the separation process.

I have the business of organizing an "Anchors Aweigh"

 party to distract me. Then come the good-byes 

and the long wait for communication from boot camp.

What a ride this has been...

and it has barely begun! 

thanks a lot...

Fear is a part of the parenting experience. 

From the first moment we hold our newborns

and ever after we have some level of concern

about our children's well-being. 

Worry is fear's troublesome voice that whispers

in our ears and paints ugly pictures of what might be.

My son's Navy journey thus far has stirred this nagging voice.

As a mother of four I thought I had nearly mastered worry

and fear. It is a matter of survival and sanity, to come

to some sort of truce with with these destructive thoughts.

But, oh, the prospect of my son in boot-camp, 

in an extremely challenging school, on a ship,

working on a nuclear reactor, so far from home!!~

These thoughts have awakened my fears more than

I care to admit. 

But here I am admitting and facing my fears. 

And I have found an anecdote, a tried and true 

balm for my trouble spirit. 

I am focusing on GRATITUDE, on paying heed to the 

good and beautiful things in my life. I am 

actively appreciating the gifts that surround me-

the blessing of a sunny morning, my parrot's chatter,

the sweet sound of my children's laugher. 

I have been reading 

One Thousand Gifts

Like the author of this book I have begun a list

of one thousand gifts. One of those gifts

is the opportunity offered to my son by the US Navy.

Gratitude enriches my life, slows my thoughts, stills my heart

so that I might see the blessings of my life.

Fear fades. Worry hushes.

My heart is filled with quiet joy.

~♥~
Click HERE to follow my list of 1000 gifts.