Posted by
oldscout on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 8:48:48 PM
GOODBYES – AND OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
I have put aside almost everything
to do with politics, Congress, stocks and market issues, foreign policy, the
environment and virtually anything else that seems to trip the collective
triggers of Conservatives, Liberals, Libertarians, Socialists, Communists,
Traditionalists, Progressives, Religious and Secularists; at least for the last
week or so. I found it very easy to do, because I had some really important
things that required my attention.
I had two goodbyes that demanded
my attention. One goodbye was to my
youngest son. He came home on a very
short leave from the Air Force, before leaving for his next assignment, half a
world away. We will not see him for at
least 12 months, and possibly longer. I
have written about him before, in previous posts, and will not repeat my
feelings about his service. Suffice to
say that my pride in him is in constant struggle with my concerns for his
safety. I guess that puts me in company
with millions of others who have family in the military.
The other goodbye was to my
oldest and dearest friend. In High
School, we were ushers at the same suburban Chicago
movie theatre. We stood up for each
other at our respective marriages, and served as Godfather to each others
daughters. Like many of our generation,
he came home from Vietnam
with physical and emotional issues that were never completely resolved, and
contributed to his premature death at 61.
I shall miss his friendship, and pray he now has the peace that eluded
him for the last few years of his life.
My oldest grandson is beginning
his college years, and my youngest grandson has begun 1st grade. My
middle grandson continues to grow and mature, and is beginning to test his
talents and interests. I am so proud of all of them, and eagerly wait for the
weekly updates they provide on how school is going, and what other activities
have triggered their participation.
My youngest daughter received a
clear blood test for her leukemia the day before her brother left for his next
duty station. That made four clear tests
in a row. Too early to use the “R” word
yet, but a hopeful sign that maybe they got it all this time.
As you can see, I was dealing
with really important stuff that has immediate impact on my family. Maybe we need a week like this once in a
while, to remind us of what is really important. I just don’t want any more goodbyes for
awhile. I hate goodbyes.