being mom and disabled veteran - Journals

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being mom and disabled veteran
Aug 2, 2009 at 11:14 AM
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- clw4514
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its something that rarely crosses my mind until something triggers it. the most recent was the other day when i took my daughter to vbs. its a church of a friend and not one we attend so i wasnt familiar with anyone. one of the mom's and me were having a general conversation and she asked the inevitable "so what type of work do u do?" i told her that i didnt and couldnt work. im a disabled veteran. u would have thought i told her i was a leper or something. she backtracked abruptly ended the conversation. it hurt my feelings. yes, veterans have feelings. my mind started wondering all over.....did i offend her? was she anti-war? did she have a grudge against the military? government? veterans? was she upset that i didnt have to work and she did? then my mind turns to should i be ashamed of my service? my disability? so after a quick obsession over this issue, i have come to this conclusion: i am and will always be a proud airman. i am and will continue to be a disabled veteran. a disability that i obtained proudly serving our great country. i am and will always be a proud mother who has raised a beautiful and patriotic daughter. a daughter who understands the sacrifices made for the freedoms we and everyone else enjoy daily. its taken me 20 yrs to accept my disability but she accepted it right from the start. she is curious about it sometimes and i expect that. but when they have a veterans day program at school, she always always wants me there. the fact that she accepts me as mom, disabled or not, is the single most important fact of all. so the next time my mind starts to obsess over someone's actions who doesnt know how to respond, all i can do is hold my head high and thank god i have such a wonderful child who proudly calls me mom!

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