My son is home on leave, and it feels SO GOOD to have him home again.

He's grown into such a man over the last four years being in the military (Navy). He came home for two reasons: 1) to celebrate my 50th birthday with me; and 2) to get started with his career goals. I'm impressed the people at the studio were serious about wanting him back. They even mailed him a keyboard system to work on during off hours at the base. Yesterday he worked with a rap group called "Do or Die." His position with the studio (producer) will allow him to also attend college when he gets out. He plans to attend Columbia here in the music field.

He will be going to IRAQ at the end of May - during the worst heat of the season. His girlfriend will be going too, so now I'm worried about both of them. She's a real sweetheart who has an ill mother and sister at home. She hasn't even told her mom about Iraq yet because she's so worried about her mom's health. They will be stationed somewhere outside of Baghdad - living in tents and eating MRE's and being hit with occasional mortar rounds. He tells me he'll send home a pic of him dressed in his Kevlar and carrying an M16. It's comical to us in a twisted way because I worked so hard to keep him away from guns. Oh well, it's giving him more "street cred" with his gang friends.

He'll only have to be over there for six months, but it will be the LONGEST six months of my life. I don't know if I'll even be able to breathe until he comes home safely. I'm almost tempted to pull a "Cindy Sheehan" while he's over there - maybe I'll camp out on the White House lawn until my son returns to me. Anyone got a lawnchair I could borrow?