Sow There!

You can buy generic silicone armbands at convenience stores that are embedded with the words “hope” and “love.”
I had friends who wore half a dozen on one arm.
Mine reads: “For Those Who Serve.”
When my niece Cassie and her husband were in Germany, it seemed almost imminent Eric would be sent to Iraq. Then the plans changed to Afghanistan.
The plans were always murky, and re-told from family member to family member.
I try not to give in too much to worrying. Frankly, if I did, I’d probably have stomach ulcers and indentations on my palms from my fingernails digging into my skin.
Without serious concentration — some might say prayer — I can quickly develop panic disorder by allowing the worst-case scenario to fester in my head:
First stage
Wow, something bad could happen.
• Feelings of concern, brief shot of anxiety, feeling of gratefulness that things aren’t the way they could be.
Second-level worry
There’s a real possibility that bad thing could happen.
• More concern, slight doubt things will be OK.
Red-level worry
That bad thing probably will happen.
• Panic, cold sweats, inability to focus on anything else but the likelihood of that bad thing happening.
Utter angst
• That terrible, terrible thing will happen.
• Remorse. How could this bad thing happen? Where is God? What am I ever going to do to get over this bad thing that will happen? How will our family ever get past this terrible, terrible thing?
Letting your mind worry in that sort of progression is really easy, but only causes stomachaches and possibly other serious medical complications.
Instead, the purple arm band became a prayer accessory, not unlike a rosary.
I’m superstitious about some things, and have never taken it off, despite the fact that it smells and has soap scum build-up.
The possibilities for my niece slowly turned for the better. Their first child, Lorelei, came into the world and another one, this time a boy, is on the way.
Meanwhile, over time, her husband Eric made progress toward a promotion that ultimately landed the family in Alabama.
A big sigh made a ripple effect throughout the family.
Somehow, after having the dark cloud of possible Middle East deployment in the back of our collective minds, it’s almost comical to hear the tales of woe about the size of the cockroaches in Alabama or the difficulties of enduring high humidity.
Being that there are so many other families with loved ones in the military, and families caught up in the craziness of war, I am still wearing the purple band.
However, it does make me wonder if there is an arm band I can buy to wish for comfort for loved ones who find themselves living in Alabama.