The Elder

I made mention of the Elder in this post So, who is the Elder? He is the young soldier that I reference in the title to my blog. He is also my biological son.

You see, 19 ½ years ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Due to my circumstances at the time, I knew that the only way this child would have a shot at a decent, normal life was if I placed him for adoption. So I did. He was placed with a wonderful couple and through the years, we kept in touch and visited periodically. However, life can get in the way, and it did. By this time I was married and had a child of my own (hereinafter referred to as “the Boy”) I believe that the last time I saw the Elder, he was about 12 years old. The last time I was in touch with his parents was when he was around 15 years old.

Fast forward to late September, 2009. I was doing my thing on facebook and noticed that I had a friend request. Imagine my shock when I saw his name!! Naturally, I accepted the request and went straight to his profile to see what he’s been up to.

He’s joined the Army (yesssssss – couldn’t be prouder!).

He’s been married for over a year (whoa, what?!).

They are expecting a baby in January (HUH?????)

Mind you, I was remembering the 12 year old child, not the adult he had become. Soooo, after picking my jaw up off the floor, I sent him a message. From that time on, we communicated on a daily basis. We got to know each other. He asked some pretty damned tough questions. Now, I must tell you that I’ve always been honest when he’s asked questions, but those were the questions of a child. These were the questions of a young man. Some of those questions were rather brutal, as were some of my answers. Two weeks later Dear Friend and I were on a plane and headed to Georgia to see him and meet his wife (hereinafter referred to as “TSC”).

I won’t get into the details of the visit – perhaps in another post. Suffice it to say that it went better than I could have ever dreamed. TSC is an absolute doll, and the Elder is quite a fine young man. When I was visiting, I ran the idea of this blog past him, and he thought it was a great idea. He said that he would keep in touch, but I also realize that his family is his first priority. We continued to communicate on a daily basis until Tuesday, October 27…the day before heading off to boot camp. I keep in touch with TSC regularly, as she has become quite special to me. And that, my friends, is the story of the Elder.

BTW – HUGE shout out to his parents, T & B…you did a helluva job. Thank you.