as we were trying to get out to school , my oldest son called from Iraq this morning to say Happy Mother's Day ... he couldn't get on line yesterday and had to re-format his computer or something ...... we were late to school but who cares ... haven't personally heard from him since January when he left ... his voice sounded great crackle and all ... he has his lap top with him now and a Magic Jack to hook to it ...but he said that connections are slow and you can't always find one ...mostly he has been emailing wife as he can and she relays messages to me ...
So that is the good new
Bad news is while out doing what ever he does (won't or can't say ) he got an eye injury ... they cleaned it out and sent him to hospital that has been set up ... they did some more rinsing and he said he could see but it was blurry ... they put some drops in it to dilate his eye and get a better look and now he can't see anything but light out of that eye ... that was several weeks ago ... so he is in Motor Pool now which is behind lines and safer ...he is working night shift and said it is usually quiet ...and he gets called in days if alot has come in ... he chose to finish out his tour and is slated to come home in September / early October instead of the original July / early August
so that is the bad news ...
the hmmmmmmmmmm part is
when he said his eye was injured my heart sank ... but when he said he was now behind lines in motor pool getting broken down equipment back up and running my heart lifted and a little voice in my head said "thank you for the injured eye" ... then another voice said "shame on you" ...
so I left the voices arguing and took the girls to school ... went and made sure everything from Friday's teacher meal was put away and ran a rag over the tables and returned some borrowed items to appropriate people ...
the first voice won out and I have decided wrong or not to feel like I do , I am glad he is in a safer location ... still have a little guilty feeling lingering because I was brought up military hearing that when you sign on you are duty bound to carry out your mission or job regardless of personal feelings ... family was included in this way of thinking ...it was drilled into me as a child that my father's country was in most ways , more important than his family because without men like him fighting so we could have a free life we would not be ... or something to that effect ...
and I am proud of him and his willingness to fight for something he feels is worth fighting for ...I don't think he is as adamant about it as my dad was but he signed on for a job and even though he has likely lost an eye , he has been moved he is staying on to finish his tour instead of coming home ...his unit is his family right now and he is there to support them
and I know that the guys at the front need the guys at the back to keep them in supplies and equipment so what he is doing is important ... I am just glad he has been moved back ...even if I feel a little guilty at being glad of his eye injury ... and guilty to know that others in his group are still out in the fighting
so that is the mixed emotions of this mom ... glad , sad and more happy than you can know to have heard his voice this morning ...
I long for the day when they are all back home
sorry if any of this offends anyone ...just how I am feeling and needed to share ...
Send thoughts an prayers to all the sons , daughters , moms and dads serving over seas ...praying for their safe return and an end to this mess
