It’s hard to believe that three years have passed since my last post. I started this blog as a way to process all the difficulties and remember the events that surrounded my mom’s life as a quadriplegic. Yesterday marked the 3rd anniversary of her homegoing. I miss her daily. I often want to pick up the phone and call her but then realize I can’t. One day we will be reunited in heaven. I believe that with all my heart. I don’t know how much time will pass before that happens, but I do know that while there is still time, I am called to persevere and finish my race here on Earth.

So much has taken place over the last three years. I could honestly write a book. However, I am going to shift the focus of my blog to a new topic that reflects one of the major events taking place in my life. I have become the mother of a soldier. My youngest child (I’ll refer to him as TA) has enlisted in the U.S. Army and is at basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia. At the suggestion of a friend, I am going to use this platform to document all the details of the experience. So, here we go….

Back in December of 2024, TA came to us with an overwhelming excitement of wanting to enlist in the military. He was 19 and a freshman in college at the time. We loved his enthusiasm and encouraged him to move forward by finding out as much as he could about this pursuit. We also told him that our desire for him would be to stay in school and join ROTC so he could get his education. TA talked to his recruiters in Kentucky and other experienced military men. He even began reading books about the right path to take. It seemed as though there were several options and paths he could take to stay in school and also begin his military career. Throughout this period, we could see that his excitement for a military career was continuing to increase and his desire to remain in school was growing less. After many discussions, much prayer, and a lot of consideration, he did not return to school for his sophomore year. In fact, he left for basic training on September 8th, 2025. Although we wanted to see him finish out his schooling, we could not deny the passion and enthusiasm he displayed on a daily basis. So, we surrendered our position and gave him full support of moving forward into his military pursuit.

We left the house at 4:30am on September 8th to drive him to MEPS (military entrance process station) where he would be “shipped out” for basic training. (Prior to this, he had gone to MEPS to swear in as a soldier in the U.S. Army and sign a 6-year contract with the military.) My husband and I were not allowed on the base, so we dropped him off at the gate, said a quick goodbye, and left the premises to wait for a call from him as to when we could return to see him off to basic. After two hours of waiting at a nearby Chick-Fil-A, we got in touch with Brooks and were told that we would not be allowed back on the base to say goodbye or see him off. Because he had enlisted in the National Guard and had already completed his swearing in, he would not be taking part in another swearing in before getting on the bus. Only active recruits were allowed to have family members on the base for the sendoff. With disappointed hearts, my husband and I got back in the car and headed home. That was it. Our brief goodbye would have to suffice. He was in the trustworthy hands of the military now.

Later that afternoon, we got a couple texts from Brooks as he rode on the bus to Fort Benning. He knew this would be one of the last times he was able to communicate with us because his phone would be turned off and taken away. We told him to get some rest on the bus, to which he replied, “Are you kidding me? I’m way to excited to sleep.”

Sure enough, that was the last we would hear from him. We knew he was at Fort Benning because Life 360 showed his location. We knew nothing else except that time would pass slowly as we waited to hear from him.