the power of thoughts

I find myself fighting doubts, wondering if we have left a "T" uncrossed, 

an "I" undotted as my son's boot camp departure inches nearer. 

 You see, today's Navy is over-manned.

Recruits find themselves under the microscope, as the Navy

 can well afford to accept only the best. 

Even with an ASVAB  score in the highest category 

my son has to toe the line. The Navy disqualifies 

many recruits for seemingly small things. I understand 

this though. With recruits and potential recruits lined 

up for jobs, it is the logical thing to take only

 the cream of the crop. 

This being said, I have to have confidence in my son. 

He is determined and a hard worker. 

His test scores have qualified him for one of

 the military's most challenging educational

programs~ nuclear propulsion. 

He had an incredible opportunity. 

And he is thinking BIG!

So, I will do the same.

 I owe it to my son and to myself to think BIG!

~♥~

"Who are we? We are children of God. 

Our potential is unlimited. 

Our inheritance is sacred. 

May we always honor that heritage

 - in every thought and deed." 

-Russell M. Nelson

the funny thing about time...

What's the deal with time? It seems to go in jerks and fits,

not in some nice, flowing linear path. 

See that sweet boy? He's my future sailor and I could swear

I took that photo last week. How did he get to be a high 

school senior? We were on cruise, off the coast of Mexico.

My sailor boy loved that ship. He was seven and he and I explored

the ship together. I was so happy that he seemed to love the sea 

and ships as much as me. 

So he will eventually spend a lot of time at sea, working hard,

but hopefully also appreciating the majesty of the world's oceans.

Time is a strange concept. As the days tick past and boot camp

looms I sometimes want to rush forward. I want to be

on the phone getting that "I'm a sailor!" call at the end of boot camp. 

But mostly I am savoring these days while my son

is still here, still, in some ways, that grinning boy on the big

cruise ship, my buddy watching the sun rise off the starboard deck.

All the while, the clock ticks...

the "d-word" revisited...

A few posts back I mentioned the "d-word"... danger. 

We live in a dangerous world, as is evidenced by the current
 tragic situation in Japan. My heart goes out to the people
of this country. They are showing such grace and resilience

in these unimaginably trying circumstances. The losses
are incalculable and now a nuclear disaster seems to be inevitable. 

The U.S. military, and particularly the Navy, are deeply involved
in rescue and recovery aid at this time. They are doing noble work

and they are in danger. I pray for all involved in this situation,
 victims and rescuers. There are so many heroes~
 the people of Japan who are helping one another, 

all of the brave aid workers, the military personnel,
the nuclear workers who are trying to avert a total reactor melt-down. 

So many are in the danger zone.
I pray for good news, for safety,

and I pray prayers of thanksgiving for heroes unsung.

~♥~

Remember this...

~Sailors aboard the USS TORTUGA delivering humanitarian aid to Japan~

~photo credit~ US NAVY~ enchanced by SeaDreamStudio~

There are real heroes in our turbulent world.

Our military is all-volunteer. 

Our country CHOOSES to help the world.

prayers

Today I am taking a break from my rambling to encourage prayers, donations, good vibes... whatever you can offer to those affected by the massive earthquake in Japan this morning and tsunamis following. 

There is reassuring news from our Naval facilities in Japan. 

The tsunami waves are just beginning to be felt in Hawaii where many of our sailors and their families are located.
If you are looking for a reputable agency to donate to for disaster relief,
I recommend the United Methodist Committee on Relief. 

~♥~
~~~UPDATE~~~
The USS Ronald Reagan will be joining the 7th Fleet
in recovery and relief efforts. 
Godspeed to these brave sailors.

shipshape

Today I'm swabbing the deck and working in the galley.

My son's recruiter is coming for dinner and I have to make things 

nice for him. You'd think the Admiral was coming! But~ I have so many

questions for him I think I need to be sure everything is cozy 

and he is well-fed. It's not like I have to convince him to take my son. 

He has been USN property since he signed his contract in November

of last year. Still, I have a loooong list of questions regarding topics

ranging from wisdom teeth to boot camp choir. 

I'll post a recap tomorrow and hopefully have some good info to pass on.

Now, back to the deck. Seems the rest of the crew has disappeared,

so I'd better get busy!

~~~UPDATE~~~
The recruiter had to postpone his visit  due to some pressing
Navy business (perhaps he is pressing his uniform), so I now have time
to make my list of questions even longer!! If you have one you'd like
for me to ask him, post it as a comment below.
I'm figuring I'm going to have to hold him hostage for seven
or eight hours to ask him all mine, so what's a few more?? ;)

the eggshell problem...

I'm blessed to be a mom of four~ 3 boys and 1 girl~ they are the treasures of my heart.

What joy they have brought to my life! 

and oh, what worry!

From day one our children are a mixed blessing. They fill our hearts to the very brim with love, happiness, hope and dreams of their glorious futures. And they can paralyze us with worry.

The world is perilous and isn't it our job to divert and shield our children from peril? How much we desire to protect our sons and daughters, to wrap them in a cloak of safety that is impenetrable. How impossible our task.

Worry is an issue I have had to face and attempt to conquer. When worries come (and they do) I ask myself~"Does my anxiety accomplish anything good?" The answer is always no. I try to steer my thoughts toward things I CAN control. I think thoughts of gratitude. I brainstorm on activities I can do that are positive. I do not always succeed, but like most things, the more we do them the more naturally they come to us. 

Lately, I am struggling with fears that my son will do something that could jeopardize his future in the Navy. As he jumped on the neighbor's trampoline the other day I thought~"Oh, no! What if he gets hurt and is medically disqualified?" When he gave a ride to a kid that I know has smoked pot before I thought~"What if they get pulled over and find pot on this kid?" When my son slacked off in school I thought~"What if his grades aren't good enough and he loses his chance to become a nuke?"... and on and on...

There is so much at stake.

But I remind myself that this is HIS life, his journey. I tell myself that what is supposed to happen, WILL happen. I breathe and pray and think positive thoughts. AND I tell my son to take it easy on the trampoline, to be careful who he associates with, to do his homework~ to keep in mind what is at stake... and then I try very hard to let it go. 

For me, gratitude and faith are the antidotes to worry. 

~most of the time~ ;)

~♥~