From the halls of Montezuma

My third child, second son leaves in 75 minutes to go to San Diego to MCRD (Marine Corp Recuit Depot). This is the second time I have sent a son off to become a Marine. Somehow this time is harder.
Maybe it is because last time I could fool myself into believing that he was just off to scout camp and then life could take over before I missed him too much.
Maybe it is because last time I had 3 days between when he graduated from high school and his actual leaving.
I think it is because last time he left on a Monday and I had daily things to keep me occupied and not thinking about his leaving.
This time, I have had time to think about all the things I am going to miss. He already went to scout camp and came home. He is leaving on a Sunday. I always cry at church during the sacrament song. Today I promised I would not cry until I dropped him off at the recruiting office and was back in my car.
I started crying when I was trying to put my makeup on. I should have just not put any on because by the time the opening song was over, I didn't have any on anyway. I really wasn't going to cry. At least I didn't have to give a talk or anything like that.

Then to make matters worse, our bishop announced that we were going to have a musical sacrament meeting. Our ward does this once in a while. It is kinda like testimony meeting. The congregation thinks of a song that has a special meaning to them, you go to the pulpit, tell the meaning of the song in your life and then we sing it. Well, the spirit wouldnt' let me sit this one out. No, I had to get up. I tried ignoring the feeling, but you know how that goes. But I couldn't think of any song to sing that wouldn't make me cry harder. No matter. So I stood up and think I spent a year just crying at the pulpit. I am not even sure what I said, but we sang my family song, Hymn #250 "We are all Enlisted" (ironic, I know).

I am proud to be the mother of one Marine and one Marine recruit. In 12 1/2 weeks I will be the proud mother of two Marines. I will get my boy back for 10 days while he is on leave and then he will be gone for another eight weeks at SOI (school of infintry), at Camp Pendelton. So in all he will be gone almost six months. He will come home on leave the week after General Conference and then be gone until after Thanksgiving. But he will look so handsome in his dress blues.