Turning Your Back

You wake up one day and your kid is 21 years old, he's in the Army, he's lost 40 pounds, and he's riding a moose.

Well, at least he's smiling, and he looks happy.

If you ask me the Army hasn't really done their best to convince my son that he's suppose to be serious, tough-faced, hard, and stern at all times. The day he graduated from Basic Training out of Ft. Knox, KY his Drill Sgt came up to me and squared his shoulders about 8 inches from my face. He lifted his chin and spoke almost as if he were speaking to the air above my head - and he said "Ma'am, your son has been disgracing my platoon for several weeks. He has been smiling when he should be swearing. He has not let up, and when I tried my hardest to beat him into place, he has retaliated with gleefulness - something I find both irritating as well as challenging from the point of view of an Army Drill Sgt. Is there anything I need to know about your son that wasn't in his file regarding his inability to stop all that happiness?" (Of course, I'm paraphrasing the good Sgt.) My answer was simply - you guessed it - to smile.

If smiling can be used as a means of defusing the situation then Reuben has been a master of it for years. He used to smile through the mud and the rain at football practice when the other guys were cussing and running for the bleachers to take cover. I remember standing out in the rain myself during one game because it has always been a rule that we won't take cover unless there is lightning present. If its just rain - we stand and we watch the game. My son was playing, I was in the stands....and as it turns out, I was the ONLY one left in the stands - as literally every other fan, family member, follower, or friend of the players was huddled under the patio, the overhangs, and anything else that could cover them. My son looked up from the middle of the field - wondering if his mom had broken her promise. I had not. I stood there, and I stretched out my arm to him after having used my fist to pound my heart. My finger making the "one" sign to Heaven...our little sign of "I love you". We both stood in the rain - smiling.

So, whether he's tackling quarterbacks, moose, or just doing push ups for the C.O. my baby is usually smiling - something I have to say can be unnerving at times - but immensely rewarding when you consider the alternative. Because my baby is an Aries, he tends to smile more often than most others - he's unaware of his surroundings actually - never really grasping the full reality or the severity of any given situation. To Reu everything is new, everything an adventure, every event monumental - something to be savored...what a way to look at life. Sometimes just looking at my son can bring me such joy - making me forget all about the war, the hate, the hurt, and even the fact that I still owe more than I make - just to know that there is always something worth smiling about - and/or someone. I love that kid.