I TRY TO WONDER RATHER THAN WORRY

I snapped this picture of our son Davey moments before he shipped off to Iraq six weeks ago.  I think he's so handsome and BRAVE.  Every day I think about the sacrifices made by him and all of our armed forces.  I am overwhelmed with joy when I see a soldier’s homecoming in the news and my heart hurts when I hear about another fallen soldier.  I pray for the physical and emotional safety of my son and his fellow soldiers and I pray for the swift healing of those wounded.

I never imagined my son would ship off to war, even though as a young boy he loved playing in his dad’s Army fatigues.  (He's on the right with a little friend; this picture was taken when he was about 4 years old.)

While I do worry about Davey, I try not to.  A sweet friend of mine, Don Levine, told me something years ago when Davey went off on his first deployment to Korea; he said, “Try not to worry but instead try to wonder.”  For me this was great advice and I try to practice it daily.  I try to think of Davey’s year-long deployment as an adventure for him.  Well, OK, people will be shooting at him but still, I imagine he will have some amazing experiences, and hopefully many of those will be positive.  When I find my mind wandering and worrying about him, I consciously shift to wonder…I wonder where he is today, what he ate for breakfast, if he’s comfortable, just normal “mom stuff.”  Most of the time Don’s advice works and my wondering overpowers my worry and I feel more hopeful and less fretful.

Davey’s called from Iraq a couple of times and he sounds like he’s in good spirits.  I speak to him in my “brave voice,” stilling the quavering in my voice (my will to be positive wavers at times – I’m working on it every day!).  I look forward to his next call and mostly I look forward to seeing him again when he comes home later this year.

From time to time I send Davey care packages filled with all sorts of goodies he enjoys and that he likes to share with his buddies.  Since many soldiers don’t get care packages, or any mail for that matter, I pack Davey’s packages so that he has plenty to share.  If you’re interested in helping boost the morale of our soldiers there are quite a few organizations to help you, including http://www.give2thetroops.org/,

http://www.operationshoebox.com/ and http://www.militarycarepackages.net/.  Wondering what to include in a care package?  Consider packing a care box with these items (good for male or female soldiers serving in the Middle East):
Flea collars (like you'd buy for a large dog)
Wipes (like diaper wipes)
Deodorant/anti-perspirant
Foot powder
Multi vitamins
Body lotion
Ziploc bags
Prepaid international calling cards
Inflatable pillows
Canned air
Playing cards
DVDs
Newspapers & magazines
Slim Jims
Dried fruit
Hard candy
Sunflower seeds
Breath mints
Gum