When the good Lord was creating mothers, he was into his fifth day of overtime.An angel appeared and said, “You’re having a lot of trouble with this one. Why not use the standard model?”
And the Lord replied, “Have you seen the specifications on this order? Give birth to a child that will become one of my warriors; install values of duty, honor, and country into them from birth while teaching them to be compassionate and loving; safeguard this treasure through flu, sickness, cuts and scrapes knowing that she can’t be with them when country calls; embrace them but let go of her precious gift to perfect strangers; brighten their day when all seems confused not knowing the pain they are enduring; have the patience of a saint when waiting for them to return home; and have two sets of shoulders to handle the weight of both love and uncertainty.”
The angel shrugged slowly looking down and said, “two sets of shoulders… no way!”
And the Lord answered, ”
Don’t worry, we’ll make other military mothers to help carry the burden. Besides it’s not the shoulders that are causing the problem, it’s the heart. It must swell with pride, sustain the ache of separation, beat on steadily when it’s too worried to do so and be large enough to say, “I Understand” when it doesn’t.
“Lord,” said the angel, touching his sleeve gently. “Come to bed… finish this tomorrow!”
“I can’t,” said the Lord. ”I’m so close to creating something special and unique. Already I have one who heals herself from within; can send joy a thousand miles away in just a small box; able to cheer them up with one phone call and can wave good-bye from a pier, a car or off a runway and understand that it is important to her country that they leave.”
The angel circled the model of the military mother very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.
“But tough,” said the Lord excitedly. “You cannot imagine what this woman can do or endure.”
“Can it think?”
“Can it think? It can home school if need be”
Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model.”
“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “It’s a tear.”
“What’s it for?” asked the angel.
“It’s for joy. Sadness. Disappointment. Pain, loneliness and pride!”
“You are a genius,” sighed the angel.
The Lord looked somber and replied, “I didn’t put it there.
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Yes, I am a military mom and I am very proud of my son. At the age of 23 he has been in the Army for about 6.5 years and has already served two tours and will be going back April 2012. As much as I do not want him to go, I know this is what he wants to do. He signed up at the age of 17 and has made everybody proud of him. When it's time for him to leave again, I'll do my best to not let him see me cry, but I can't make any promises. As I know it gets cold at night where he's going, I best get busy making him some helmet liners and hats.
Until next time, keep on hooking.
Terri
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