One of my son’s close friends just enlisted in the U.S. Army. When I found out his intentions a month ago, I found myself wanting to talk him out of it. As a mother, my fears about his safety immediately surfaced. What a huge decision this young man made! What a sacrifice to give up his own freedoms!
There have been days I had difficulty deciding what to wear. Or what to bring to work for lunch. And this young man made the conscious decision at 20 years old to give up his job, his girlfriend, his cell phone, his time with his family, his weekends off and nights out with friends… all to serve grueling weeks in basic training, and then risk his life for the benefit of peace and protection for the rest of us.
How does one possess the confidence in their abilities to take on such a mission? Understanding this is beyond me because of my insecurities and my struggle with depression and anxiety. How is one so sure of what they want to do that they are comfortable leaving every relationship, every comfort and everything familiar to take on unknown risk and adventure? On a much smaller scale, I guess I did make a life changing decision when I divorced my husband and left with my son. That was unchartered territory, although not physically dangerous like the front line.
It occurs to me that the women who choose to come to Brookhaven Retreat have made a life changing decision. They have left behind everything comfortable and familiar and taken the risk to change their lives. I get to see the beginning and end results and I smile inside each time a new woman “enlists.” They know what they want for their lives and have made a huge decision to create a life worth living.
