(no subject)
My dad got his medical clearance last week, so he's leaving for Iraq on Monday. Or rather, leaving for Oklahoma for two months of intense training, and then overseas. I guess it won't truly feel real until we say goodbye at the airport. I'm really not sure how our family is going to hold up over the next year. My mom and my sister have a horrible relationship -- which is only to be expected at this stage; it was the same for me -- so not having my dad around to be their mediator is going to make things really difficult for them. I don't know how my mom is dealing with it all, she tries to be strong for Alexis and me, but I'm sure she's falling apart inside. I know I would be, if it were Noah leaving. And we only have three years under our belt, not twenty-eight.
Our family really lucked out during the last Gulf War; he almost received orders on several occasions but it never panned out. How ironic that now, eight years after he finished paying his dues and retired happily, he's yanked back in against his will (and totally unprepared and out of shape) and thrown into the desert. I guess I'm scared that the experience is going to change him in some way, although I suppose if anything it will make us all appreciate each other a lot more.
A year is not a very long time in the grand scheme of things, but in our family -- a year is a lot. We do so much together, because we simply enjoy being around each other. Vacations, holidays, game nights, movies, amusement parks... we just like to hang out and make each other laugh. My dad is so much a part of me, and has shaped who I am probably more than anybody else in my life. He inspires me to learn things. We both love American history, and zombie movies, and stand-up comedy, and the Twilight Zone, and rock and roll from the 70's, and the Muppets, and books, and politics. We teach each other things. The the greatness of good beer, the art of forgiveness, the importance of laughter.
I am really going to miss him.