My Kids Are Off to War

2003-02-10 - 12:17 p.m.

I try not to get to serious in this diary. This is my frivolous diary, as I�m sure you�ve noticed. I normally don�t address High Terrorists Alerts, or anything of that kind. But eventually something is going to get to me to the point that it will infiltrate here.

I�m sure if I would have had this diary during 9/11 or soon thereafter, you would have been exposed to all the roller coaster emotions that were going through me. Had I mentioned that that day was my first day working downtown? No? Well, I won�t dwell on it.

This morning I was busy with my Q&A (which I�ll get to later), when C IMs me. C is my baby sis, for those who don�t know. She�s 20. I helped raise her. I went to all the PTA meetings and put her in Girl Scouts and, as much as I could, tried to make sure she had an ok life after my parents divorced. She was 5 at the time they divorced. Before I moved up to New York, she lived with me. We had a very nice life, albeit we were always broke. We had a nice big apartment, in a nice complex. She went to school and worked, I worked. We would always have friends over. It was usual for me to come home from partying to find an apartment full of kids (all her friends) strewed about all over our 3 bedroom apartment. Our place was always designated as the Cram Central, because I would always make sure they had plenty of coffee and munchies to help them through.

They�re my kids. I had just a little bit to do with helping their development and I�m very proud of that. I helped them gain a little confidence when everyone else would tell them to go to hell. When their families were telling them that they would get no where and be nothing, I did all I could to balance the scales, to remind them how wonderful, unique and talented they are. I lost one of my kids this past year to a hit and run. That�s life. He was C�s best friend.

Now I find out that some of my kids are leaving�they�re in the Marine Reserves. They�ve all been activated and are shipping out Thursday. I was praying for peace and now I will pray every single day for their safety.

My kids, they�re going off to fight a grown up fucking war. They're not old enough to buy beer, but they're been sent off to fight. I�m so choked up I�m going to be sick.