We All Get Where We Are Headed Eventually...

Twice today I had wise wonderful women offer their sympathies over the fact that Taylor is enlisting in the military.  They have both worked with me and know beyond a shadow of doubt how precious my only child is to me. Anyone who has ever spent more than five minutes with me knows that Taylor is my everything. When I became a teacher, my students upon meeting Taylor would simply tell him that I talked about him all the time; he simply nodded in response.  I have always talked about him.... to everyone.. to anyone. How will I ever survive his leaving? I will because it is what Taylor is supposed to do.

I support Taylor's decision to enlist even if it is not the decision I would have made for my bright, talented young man. Why? He needs to follow his own path to go where God wants him to serve.  I truly believe that God plans for us all to fulfill a specific role.  He has equipped it for the work we are to do, but sometimes, we wander off the path. We want to make more money or the path is a hard climb or we want to have the fairy tale right at that moment rather than doing what we know we should do. 

I am called to teach.  I was called to teach a long time ago, but the corporate world paid more, offered more adventure, and was where I wanted to be. I ran from teaching. Then, eight years ago, my big corporate dream went away.  I sent resumes. I interviewed for jobs. I was offered jobs.  I could not accept a single one without crying. I knew I was supposed to teach. Stepping back onto the path that I had so willingly hopped off of was rough to say the least.  I had no money. I had a child to support.  We did without. The year and a half that I was back in college and the first six months of my teaching career are not times I want to recall. If it had not been for my grandmother's love and biscuits, well... it would have been a lot rougher.  I made it through to teach. Taylor and I survived. My life would have been so much easier if I had simply listened to God and stayed on the path I was supposed to be on to begin with.

Taylor is called to be a Marine.  No one doubts this. Strangers upon meeting him ask what branch of the military he is in.  His favorite toys growing up were GI Joes and army men.  His favorite game was war.  I do not want him to leave.  I would die myself before ever seeing my child in harm's way if I could.  God has called Taylor to serve though. I remember how hard it was to climb back on my path, to get to exactly the place I was supposed to be all along....  Taylor is not running from his path.  He is going to do amazing things.