USMC

Last year at this time, my girl was far far away on an island at the mercy of the United States Marine Corps. As she prepared for her ship date, she became a powerful machine, strong in mind and body. Nothing scared her. She was ready. I was not. I could only be supportive and pray for will of God to be done.

One of the most precious lessons I’ve learned as a parent is to loosen my grip on my own expectations and open my hand to the will and purpose of God in my children’s lives. 

Before shipping out she would mandatorily spend the night in an assigned hotel, and then we wouldn’t see her again until the next morning at MEPS where we would send her off for the next three months. Before heading to the hotel that afternoon, she was sitting in the kitchen with her dogs; nervous, but emotionally contained. Honestly, we were all fine until Royale, Kennedy’s sweet rescue pit bull, crawled up in her lap and snuggled into her neck. She wouldn’t move. It was as if she knew. We all broke down for the first time. 

The next morning twelve of us crowded around a cafeteria-type table, feeding the little ones snacks while we waited for her to go through various registration points and the swearing in ceremony. As the recruits lined up to board the bus to the airport after hours of waiting, she smiled bravely with tears rolling down her cheeks. We held each other while some of our people sobbed into our jackets. This was really happening. 

When the bus finally rolled out of sight, we drove to the nearby McDonalds to linger together for just a little longer, letting the reality of it all sink in. 

Each day following felt like forever. I would start to feel panic rising in my chest and realize I wasn’t breathing. I prayed continuously for her safety and good health, begging God for His mercy for my girl and for us. Then, when all of our schoolwork was done for the day, lunch was cleaned up, and the children were quietly reading in their rooms, I would sit down to write her a letter. I wrote a letter every single day while she was gone. It was the only relief that I felt for the duration of her absence, until I received a surprising phone call from her one morning. 

You can read the details of her experience in the marines on her blog: https://realityrocket.wordpress.com/2020/04/05/day-one-arrival/