Thanks boys!

So Last night I went down to the vfw to help load some chairs. No big deal. Then all of my boys started rolling in, so I stayed.

The other day I was feeling so down. I was just so done with everyone and everything. Then it happened. One by one my boys walked up to me and said "Hi mom" and gave me a kiss. I must be the luckiest women in the world to have so many good looking young men kiss me.

Then we started singing Karaoke. The marines got up and sang "have you forgotten". One of them pulled ,me in and I sang with them. Have I forgotten? No I have not forgotten. What I did was have a pity party for one. That pity party is over. I do what I do because I know so many young men and women who need me. I must be their rock.

Today I was talking to my friend Beth and she was asking what was going on back here. I told her that tonight I am going to the cemetery to read names for an hour, and I explained that the cemetery is having a roll call of everyone that is laid to rest there.

Beth cried. I asked her why she was crying. Beth said "Because that means that you have not forgotten us. I have been to so many funerals and I have heard roll called and you know that the person is dead. It is nice to know that we are not forgotten". Oh Beth. I could never forget any of my marines. I love them.

Its not just the marines. I signed up to do this because I thought it would be something different. I now see that the actions I am about to take will mean more then I will ever know. I am no longer doing this for me. I am doing this so that all the people that have been laid to rest will not be forgotten.

Tonight my house is full again. We have friends in from 29 palms. Dinner is on the way. I will need to grab a quick nap and then I need to leave the house by 10:45 p.m. Tonight I am going to wear one of my mother in laws head dresses. No I am not middle eastern, but my mother in law lived there for 20 years and she loved her head coverings. I will wear my father in laws necklace. We were both Gemini and he always wore this Gemini emblem. I will wear my dad's watch. My dad wore that watch until the day he died. I am taking a piece of them with me tonight. I will dedicate my reading in their honor.

All of them were U.S. service men and women. Yes my mother in law was a marine. None of this is about me. It is about them. It is about honoring our fallen troops. It is no secret that I hate this war. I hate everything about it, but I will continue to stand by service men and women and support them.

Raven beat the drum for me and set up the smoke rings. I will need all the help I can to make it through tonight. I just want to be able to read the names and not cry. I can cry on the way home. I need courage and a stiff upper lip.