My son (19) completed his enlistment process with the Marines yesterday. He leaves for San Diego (in Spanish, San Diego means "whale's vagina") and Boot Camp on November 5. He scored pretty well on the aptitude test and, while he can pretty much choose any area in which to serve, has chosen to serve in the infantry.

As a dad, I obviously have mixed emotions. While I couldn't be more proud of him, I nevertheless struggle with releasing him into a life-threatening environment. He could be killed. Since becoming a dad, my prayer has often been, "Please God...anything...but please don't cause me to bury one of my children."

I've been fine, but very busy with work. I was retired but went back to work doing something I really enjoy. The pay is lousy, but the job is very good. Plus, I've been seeing a very fine woman over the past few months. I plan on marrying her one day. She is very precious. My daughter's (17) life is in the can. She moved in with her mom this past school year and went from being an "A" student to an "F" student. She's involved with a group of kids that are very bad news, tested positive for marijuana, discovered with a bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms in her car, yadda-yadda-yadda. I've basically released her. I told her she is free to make any choice about her life she wishes, but she will do so apart from me. And when (not if) she gets in trouble, don't call me. Yeah, life is what happens when you're making other plans.

Onward through the fog...

Fife

__________________
"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival."
Winston Churchill