On Being the Mother of a Marine

I wear no uniform; no dress blues, no cammie greens,

but I AM in the military among the ranks rarely seen.

I have no stripes upon my shoulder and salutes I do not give.

But the military is the world in which I live;

I am the PROUD MOM of a US MARINE!

"Ain't nothin' tougher than a Marine, 'cept his Mama."

  

Even though David won't officially be a Marine until the completion of his Crucible in a little over a week, I'm starting to feel like I'm the mother of a Marine. I'm sure I don't yet understand all that means, but I do suspect it includes learning how to handle new emotions.

Hannah and I went to see a  movie last night, and before the previews we were treated to this.



I was caught off guard by an instant attack of leaking eyeballs. It didn't seem to have that effect on anyone else in the packed theater, and I could tell that Hannah desperately wanted to move somewhere far away from me. So this must be what it means to be the mother of a Marine. I couldn't quite tell if it was pride, or fear, or missing my boy, or the fact that I only had 3 hours of sleep the night before.

Guess I'd better keep a pack of kleenex in my purse at all times.