Just over a year ago my son Max began his new adventure in the Australian Army. Timed perfectly with my monthly visits to Solider On, offering Raindrop Technique to some of its members. And my reminder on how life always shows up with valuable lessons.
The other week my 17 year old son, Max, told me that he filled out an application to join the Army reserves.
My Max.
Music making, car fixing," I am totally putting that app on your phone so I know where you are now that you are driving" baby boy, Max.
Gulp.
While I know it would be a life changing experience for him, my stomach did a weird backflip.
Pretty sure there were drunk butterfly acrobats in there.
The world is so backwards spinning at the moment, I can't imagine any parent would be totally grinning to send their bey-bey off into the military world.
I not so secretly told him we could get one of those tiny homes and he could live there to save for a house.
Nice and safe.
Tucked away, as bubble wrapped as he'll let me make him.
No matter how old they are, our babies are always our babies.
Yesterday, while spending the day at Soldier On, I got to spend time with a precious mother who had lost her precious baby in Afghanistan.
All war circumstances are horrendous, every loss of life is a life long tragedy.
But her story, her strength and motherly nature had me in a hot mess of tears while we chatted.
We talked about her sons dreams and wishes and the continuing atrocities that surround his story.
She told me about all of the years of projects she's created to remember his legacy. The people who have had since been given a second chance at life because of the space she's built. The people around her spoke about the generosity she lives out, day in and out.
I don't think it was by accident that her and I met.
Our time together reminded me that no one single one of us is so much more important than the next, that life can't have sad and hard and difficult things happen.
Things that change us that we didn't ask for, or even in our deepest thoughts think could every in a million occur.
I was also taught that the sweetest of souls often go through the most bitter of life's days.
That we have a choice on how we honour life and loss of those that matter to us the most.
I cried at her loss but I sobbed at her resilience.
What a humbling hour she shared with me.
Gifting me life lessons that only can come from the wisdom of someone who has lived in the hard.
And comfort that even when the hardest of moments change us, the choice to continue to make change still belong to us.
A HUGE thank you to Solider on who allow us to give back to those most important to our small towns and big, wide world. The amazing Deb sat down with me and shared why she thought Raindrop Technique would be a wonderful benefit to their community and the feedback she's received.