why i don't listen to the news~

i've been thinking about my middle son devon a lot today. i haven't seen him in over a year now. well, thanks to skype i have seen him, but you know what i mean, i haven't touched him, or fed him, or done his laundry for him.
i showed you him going off to air force boot camp, and let you know he made it through with flying colors. since then he's been sent to texas for training, over to florida for more training, and now is stationed at seymour-johnson air force base in north carolina, where he is a crew chief and engine specialist on F-15 fighter jets. two days ago he texted me a photo of himself in his dress blues, right after he received his second stripes. they are beautiful, and he looks so good...
it's been an emotional journey having him choose this path for himself. mostly i have been filled with pride, seeing him follow in his grandfather's footsteps, hearing his pride in himself over the phone as he met each test & obstacle over the past year. i know he loves what he's doing. i know he's being taken care of and that he's going to the dentist and eating meals. i know he still has a few months of tests and things before he is "deployable." i've chosen to focus on feeling the pride and telling myself he is on the ground fixing the jets, not flying in them...

and then i read the news this morning. two u.s. air men shot and two wounded, in germany. one of devon's best buddies from boot camp was recently stationed there. the air force base in germany is home to the only F-15 fighter wing in europe, and it's on devon's "wish list." my heart is heavy as i wait to hear from him. i can only imagine how his friends' parents are feeling.

pride can only carry a mom so far.

i see the person who did the shooting is 21. so young.

devon is 19. his 20th birthday is the end of this month. and i'm thinking if i would have talked him into college, he would have been worried about what he was going to be doing for spring break instead of doing the final pre-flight check on a fighter jet engine...

bless the families of those four boys.