Saturday, August 14, 2010

Rain at the Finish Line

Watching the clock these past 9 hours, I am a bit surprised at myself. It's like I have gone back in time to the first week Sara was at P.I. I have been anxious ... fighting imaginations of pain or injury or worse both for Sara and others in the platoon as they have forced themselves to reach down deep inside to find energy and determination to finish.

Unable to sleep, I have dozed, tossed and turned, and checked the time and prayed.

From 0630 Sara's time I lay in the darkness watching the weather at Parris Island on my iPhone, imagining this group fighting through the last moments of the march home.

Straight up 0700, the scheduled finish of Crucible, I was startled by a loud clap of thunder here in Tulsa. I chuckled to myself as I thought "it is finished".

There in front of the Iwo Jima memorial, as I write, our girls are probably standing, receiving their EGA pins.

By 0715, it has begun to sprinkle on base. Perhaps a welcome shower. Now it is pouring down, at 0800, and the ceremony is probably over, these new Marines are enjoying or headed to enjoy their breakfast, a feast... first chow time since Wednesday.

Tonight, hopefully after some rest and recuperating, is their biggest inspection by the commanding officer of the base. Sara will have her Service Alpha's back with the Chevron's sewn on...She will be excited for that... She should also have several post-crucible letters of congratulations from many of us...to open and enjoy.

Tomorrow morning will be her final Sunday service... her first as a Marine... on base. My heartfelt thanks go out to Minister Daniel Hedges, and the men of his congregation in Beaufort, who come on base each Sunday morning to share, teach, lead and carry forward the faith of our children during their days at Parris Island.

And then tomorrow afternoon, we will get a call from Sara... funny how significant the anticipation of a phone call has become.

I for one (you too, right Joyce?) am glad Crucible is done and look forward to knowing that all is OK with Sara. Platoon 4024, and November Company.

It's 0830 there now and the storm has turned from green to yellow to red, right over the top of PI between Port Royal and Port Royal Sound.

...and my daughter is a Marine.

OohRah!

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