Becky Says...

September 15, 2001

Entries
Current Entry
Previous Entry
Next Entry
Archives

Links
Personal Sites
and Forums/Boards

Diaryland
The Hunger Site

Communication
Write to me


Subscribe with Bloglines






Waiting

Among other lessons I've had in waiting is the one I'm sharing today. A lot of years ago, someone I love dearly went missing for a few days. He was on maneuvers "somewhere" with his U.S. Marine company. That was all we knew.

And that would have been all well and good and no one would have worried, except it was the week that so many Marines were killed in the bombing in Lebanon.

So we sat watch. We had no news for several days, then he was able to call his parents and assure them he was all right. He had been involved in a classified training exercise, stateside, and was back at his base. That much, he was allowed to divulge. His parents passed the word, and all of us who knew him were much relieved.

As soon as I could (as in, a few minutes after I got home from work that day), I called him. I told him that I had been prepared for the worst, but was incredibly grateful that he was all right. We spent quite a bit of time on the phone that night, talking in part of the necessity of strong defense for the country, and of the certainty that those whose lives had been taken in Lebanon had not died in vain.

There have been few times in my life I was that grateful for a reason to blow the phone bill to high heavens. I was grateful that I was able to spend the phone call money in a call to him rather than on calls announcing bad news about him.

I was and am grateful that I still had and have my friend's presence in my life.

I know all too well that it could have worked out otherwise.

Text © copyright 2000-2001 Becky