Well there is nothing that this mother loves to hear more than that you are healing. Indeed you are and it shows-- in your family, friends, and work. I prayed for this for 20 years. I know people who read my comments will say "wow what an exaggeration".. No sirs/mams it has been 20 -- caught between the deployments, the Im back home in the state time which is just as dangerous as well for different reasons, and life stuff I frankly at times wondered if he would make it back and be ok enough to reestablish. I would from time to time try to get him to think about getting out of the service and he would gently and not so gently rebuff my suggestions.. I would gently lean in to the "I know about mental health/ptsd/...fill in the blank.... This guy would always say "I'll be fine". He was so committed like so many others. The Max's, the James', the many veterans I see in the university. If anyone deserved a medal for worrying it would be me and the many many parents of service members who don't "count" for the military. I once sat in a supposed welcome back briefing given by a Col. in D.C. that I was so mad I had to leave when he made it all about his own deployments. Sweet baby Jesus really? Yes I am here to round out from a parent's perspective what it's like to have a warrior for a son. Proud and scared were my constant companions. So when I say I am so happy to hear Will is healing -- I mean it's a prayer answered from many thousands of times prayed in the past twenty years. God is good and especially to get the Aggies to the play offs.
Katherine, there aren’t words that could possibly describe how much it means to me to read your words here! As a mother whose son also served, I feel like I get it… though my opportunity to pray for his future and healing was cut short, boy do I remember hearing “I’ll be fine” as you mentioned Will said above! I relate so deeply with you.
It’s the Wills that I get to meet that give my broken heart more healing. To meet Will in person and have the privilege to be a tiny part of his journey bolsters my passion to be there for those warriors who made it home from the place my beloved son did not.
Will likely will never understand how much he means to me. How much his courage to do all he is doing right now for our Afghan allies and how precious his passionate story last weekend resonated in my heart.
Because my son didn’t get the chance to come home and continue to fight for our allies like Will has, the least I can do is to support heroes like Will in any and every way possible as he fights for not only our abandoned allies, but also as he fights for his own healing from the trauma, loss and devastating pain caused by all he gave over those 20 years you prayed for him.
This work is my highest calling and I am so incredibly grateful, honored and humbled to have the privilege to do it.
Next time Will comes home, please give him another hug from another mother who appreciates him more than he will ever understand.
Well there is nothing that this mother loves to hear more than that you are healing. Indeed you are and it shows-- in your family, friends, and work. I prayed for this for 20 years. I know people who read my comments will say "wow what an exaggeration".. No sirs/mams it has been 20 -- caught between the deployments, the Im back home in the state time which is just as dangerous as well for different reasons, and life stuff I frankly at times wondered if he would make it back and be ok enough to reestablish. I would from time to time try to get him to think about getting out of the service and he would gently and not so gently rebuff my suggestions.. I would gently lean in to the "I know about mental health/ptsd/...fill in the blank.... This guy would always say "I'll be fine". He was so committed like so many others. The Max's, the James', the many veterans I see in the university. If anyone deserved a medal for worrying it would be me and the many many parents of service members who don't "count" for the military. I once sat in a supposed welcome back briefing given by a Col. in D.C. that I was so mad I had to leave when he made it all about his own deployments. Sweet baby Jesus really? Yes I am here to round out from a parent's perspective what it's like to have a warrior for a son. Proud and scared were my constant companions. So when I say I am so happy to hear Will is healing -- I mean it's a prayer answered from many thousands of times prayed in the past twenty years. God is good and especially to get the Aggies to the play offs.
Katherine, there aren’t words that could possibly describe how much it means to me to read your words here! As a mother whose son also served, I feel like I get it… though my opportunity to pray for his future and healing was cut short, boy do I remember hearing “I’ll be fine” as you mentioned Will said above! I relate so deeply with you.
It’s the Wills that I get to meet that give my broken heart more healing. To meet Will in person and have the privilege to be a tiny part of his journey bolsters my passion to be there for those warriors who made it home from the place my beloved son did not.
Will likely will never understand how much he means to me. How much his courage to do all he is doing right now for our Afghan allies and how precious his passionate story last weekend resonated in my heart.
Because my son didn’t get the chance to come home and continue to fight for our allies like Will has, the least I can do is to support heroes like Will in any and every way possible as he fights for not only our abandoned allies, but also as he fights for his own healing from the trauma, loss and devastating pain caused by all he gave over those 20 years you prayed for him.
This work is my highest calling and I am so incredibly grateful, honored and humbled to have the privilege to do it.
Next time Will comes home, please give him another hug from another mother who appreciates him more than he will ever understand.
Katherine, you served.
Holding your breath while your son lived his wild and crazy life was clearly harder on you than him.
Anyone who cheers for a Florida team got no reason to live!
Do you know how an Aggie has been in your house?
He leaves about a million dollars laying around the house bc we're loaded?
LOL I lived in East Texas for a year back around 1980, everyone told Aggie jokes.
Nothing wrong with a good Aggie joke!
Support the Texas Longhorns. You'll have much better luck at seeing them win!
You're dead to me. :)
Until next time. Go Aggies.