I'm back! Let me explain my posting title today... we have a son in Iraq. Nick is a 1st LT in the US Army, 82nd Division of the Airborne Rangers. We have been through "this" before; that is, having a son in harm's way. Our oldest son, Jeremiah, is an US Navy medic and has completed two tours of duty in Iraq. While J was deployed, we lived from phone call to phone call. We were edgy, sometimes irritated, constantly worrying about whether J was safe and hoping not to see the military green car in our driveway, delivering bad news. Bill checked the military casualty list daily; with so many soldiers dying or being injured, it was a somber time for us. We did not have any friends or family with sons/daughters serving in the military so we felt very alone with what we were experiencing as parents. It was HARD; we felt such a rush of relief when each of J's tours were over and he was back on American soil.
Now it is Nick's turn to serve in Iraq and we are back to holding our breath again. We answer the phone, day or night, because it might be a call from Nick. Nick is deployed for a 12 month tour and we are almost at 3 months down, 9 to go. We are back to being edgy again-- it is hard to explain. So I have designated 2009 as being my personal year of distraction. I NEED things to be distracted with, so I do not dwell on the worry. Some parts of my life are the same-- I work full-time, I have my favorite TV shows & Internet sites, I hang out with Bill, Natasha & Shadow, we meet with friends and I continue to be passionate about photography & scrapbooking. But, I need more.... So I have started to knit. I have started a website for the families & loved ones of Nick's Company. I am looking for new things to try to keep my mind busy. And though "being distracted" is often associated with a slightly negative tone--- for me, "being distracted" is just what I need to get by.
Thanks for listening.
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