Los Angeles Times Pressmens 20 Year Club

Today is a good day for me. My daughter is arriving from Hawaii tonight at approximately 11:00 p.m. for a two-week visit. She's been waiting at home (in Hawaii) for her husband's deployment to end in August, only to find out that his unit will be kept an additional 46 days. She was, understandably, distraught and upset but has now come to terms with the delay and accepted the inevitable. Her husband, however, is eager to come home after so many months away. Their first anniversary will be April 22 and it's sad that they won't be together to celebrate.

For my part, I've been her sounding board, cheerleader and support these last few weeks. It was hard to accept that my role in her live changed from "parenting" to "parent". I was never the kind of parent who looked at my child as a "friend". I was the mom, charged with the responsibility of preparing my children to live by the rules of society no matter how hard the rules are. Of course, there were times I was tempted to give in and allow her to have her way but I resisted because I wanted to raise a self-sufficient child who would fit in and contribute to society. I'm proud of all my children and I pray every day for the strength and stamina to raise the two youngest still living at home. No matter how many children you raise, it's always difficult when you have to step back and have faith that you've raised them right.

I hope to be able to blog a little more frequently and look forward to any comments readers have.

Please continue to pray for our troops all over the world. God bless everyone!