My Reason
Social-media updates by a mother, while her son is at boot-camp.
"12 more days until I see my son." 12 More Days Until I See My Son 2018
[Image Description: The number 12, built out of small, green plastic toy soldiers, displayed on a wooden background.]
"# More Days Until I See My Son"
# More Days Until I See My Son 2018 *6 more days until I get to see my Son. [Photo credit: Snowzie Roze]
[Image Description: A grid of images that count down from 12 to 1.
"When (my son) was home, he spoiled me quite a bit. (...) He refused to let me pay for any groceries. He wouldn't allow me to pay for our lunch dates. And while he was out with a buddy, instead of buying things for himself, he made just one purchase: a Kittea Tea Infuser...for me. " "Right now, I'm drinking green tea from my Son's favorite mug, a Harry Potter cup that says, "Brave." Right now, I'm thinking of the most selfless, beautiful human being...my boy." "Puffy eyed...this morning was a hard one." "Spending quality time with my goofy Son! He is life!" "Challenge coins, one to display and one to keep near my heart. This is when I started to blubber." Challenge Coins 2018 "My first hug." My first hug, my ugly cry. [Photo by Jason Powell] 2018
[Image Description: A black and white photographic image of two figures, hugging. A young man in enlisted military uniform (Service "C") is pictured hugging his mother. His mother is resting her head against his shoulder. Her face is emotional - what she refers to as "my ugly cry" face. Many figures linger in the background. ]
"My son's much deserved rank." "I got to pet Chesty Puller XIV, the official mascot of the Marine Corps!" "My very first glimpse of my Son after three long months!" "In about an hour, I get to hug my Son, my Marine." "I get to meet my son's drill instructors on Wednesday evening!" "Someone told me that Marine boot camp graduations are really spectacular. I am going to need to waterproof my makeup and clothes because I'm going to be a giant vessel of tears when I see him." "I'm dying to see him. He's on his way for the Warrior Breakfast. I was told he and the other New Marines will probably throw it all up since their bodies have been conditioned to operate with little food." "Just a few minutes ago....my son earned the title, United States Marine." "Tonight....at 2 AM, my son will begin the Crucible. This will be the culminating event that all boot camp recruits will have to endure before earning the title, "US Marine." The challenge is: 54 hours 48 miles 36 warrior stations 29 team building exercises 4-6 hours sleep [total] 2.5 MRE's [meals ready to eat] Today, I manically printed out little posters of my son with his first name, company, and platoon number to which I adhered to all of our candles. I also purchased two LED candles for my son's window sills - to stay lit for the duration of the Crucible. The entire time I was doing all this, I kept repeating to myself, " (My son)'s got this." I will be sending him all of my heart for this grueling journey, and I hope you will do the same....because on Friday, he will be sleep deprived, hungry, mentally & physically spent...BUT he will have earned the title....United States Marine. I can't imagine anything more honorable than that." To Stay Lit For the Duration of the Crucible 2018
[Image Description: A black and white photographic image of two windows, with a black cat in between, facing away from the camera, toward the windows. In the center of the windows are placed photographic images of the author's son, smiling, in street clothes. There are candles placed at the base of each window.]
"Today, my son will experience the "confidence" [gas] chamber....and tonight at 2 AM, he will embark on his final challenge, the Crucible. Keep him in your thoughts. I am so glad he's almost done with boot camp. Jeeeez." "Just got a 60 second phone call from (my son) in boot camp. He greeted me with, "안녕, 엄마 [annyeonghaseyo, Omma]!" That's Korean for 'Hello, momma!' My heart is bursting." "In 6 days, my son will officially be a United States Marine. And in 19 days, I will finally get to hold my son, my new Marine." Cat has been training, at home, inspired by her son. "I am still a weakling and soft in the middle, but I can finally do 2 chin-ups with a light resistance band. It's progression for me because a month ago, the only thing I could do was lift a wine glass to my mouth." A video, documenting herself training at home, that Cat originally uploaded to Facebook. My Reason 2018 "I have just officially bonded with a woman who is an Air Force veteran and mother to a recruit who is also in the same company as my son. I cannot even tell you how much this means to me. A new family member and a friend for life. We are planning a wine night before we get to see our new Marines in San Diego. I felt lonely before, but not as much now. (.....)...you are life. Selfies soon!" "When J heard me mutter, "I miss (my son)," he retorted, "What's new?!"" Doodles in the Letters: Improvised Floofen Stripes 2018
[Image Description: A color photographic cropped image of a piece of lined paper, on a wooden, circular table, with a ball-point pen illustration of a cat. The cat is striped. The tip of a red-colored ball-point pen is entering the image, laying on the paper, from the bottom left hand of the frame.]
"Occasionally, I will doodle in the letters I send to my son. I always use a ballpoint pen...so if I screw up, I have to improvise. With that said...this floofen did not have stripes at first." My Sweet, Little Baby
[Image Description: A color photographic image, a snapshot, of a light-haired infant (around 15 months), facing the camera with a grin. He is wearing a red onesie, with red and white stripes on the collar and wrists. In his right hand (to the viewer's left) he clasps multiple colored markers - pink, red, blue, yellow, brown/tan, and dark green. He has pink marks on his forehead. ]
"I know he's a grown man, now --- but he'll always be my sweet, little baby. Only a month until I see him. My experiences with a son in boot camp are, I'm sure, wildly different than his own. But I think he'll agree, that this journey has been difficult for both of us. I miss him." "After further speculation....I think I found my son. I love him so much!" I Think I Found My Son 2018
[Image Description: A color photographic image of two figures, in camouflage, and protective gear, wearing helmets with wire face guards. The figures faces toward the left. The figure in the foreground has a red helmet on. The figure beside them, to their right, has a blue helmet on. There is a bright red (digitally) hand-drawn circle around the blue helmet, with an arrow pointing toward it. In white, bold text, "I think this is (.....) !!!!" The name has been digitally blurred out with green. ]
"I'm up late and saw that my son's company was featured again on the MRCD Facebook page. I'm always excited when I see Kilo Company 3rd Battalion shots because I desperately want to see his face...but alas, I couldn't find him. *Sigh* I miss my boy." "I got another letter from my son. His first words were: "Dear beloved, amazing, compassionate, all-time super star Momma." Oh my heart....it's spilling all over the place. Today is my favorite." "Another glimpse of Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion performing log drills. This is "team week" and my son and the other recruits are being conditioned to perform as a cohesive unit, not as individuals. I desperately scanned those photos for my son, but could not find him." "There are 91 days in Marine Corp boot camp. My son has been in training for 40 days, which means he has 51 more days left until he graduates. If there was any wish I could ask for, I'd wish for time to fly." "As I was walking to meet my Mother-in-law this afternoon, I was greeted by a very excited stranger. He was across the street, screaming at me, "You fucking Jap! I'm gonna bash your head in with a sledgehammer!" I turned to get a closer look at him while he raged on, "A fucking sledgehammer! Get over here, Jap! I'm gonna kill you!" I waltzed over to the side of the pavement he was on, looked him dead in the eyes and confidently flipped him off. He slithered away after that because....well, you see, I've got the crazy in my eyes too. I'm a mother whose son is in bootcamp, and I'm not as sane as I used to be." "My son is not a Marine yet. He's a recruit - he has to earn the title. And I would like to share the very wise advice dispensed from a woman whose loved one earned the title. She nailed it. I'm not sure I'm ready for all this, but I'm buckling up. "Your RCT [recruit] enlisted, but you were drafted. This is going to be a roller coaster ride like none you’ve ever ridden before, so hold on!"" "Another glimpse into my son's company training: bayonet assault and pugil sticks. Try as I could, I was unable to find Stephen. What I wouldn't do to see my kid." This Is Breath 2018
[Image Description: A close-up color photographic image of a white envelope being pressed to a chest with a hand. ]
"We live in a digital age where constant contact is normal --- bordering on annoying. But since my son left for bootcamp, nearly three weeks ago, he's been off the map. I can't call him, text him, email him. I can't peruse his social media accounts to check up on him. I just have what limited communication is allowed. This is the second time I've heard from him. This is breath." "Jason and I woke up early so we could watch the first sunrise of 2018. It was 31 degrees out, we were shivering as we sat on a park bench - watching the sky slowly catch on fire. It was beautiful, it reminded me of my son." Watching the Sky Slowly Catch on Fire 2018
[Image Description: A color photographic image of a vibrant sunset. The sky is reflected in the rather still waters, below. A dimming blue sky is lit up with bright peach and dark lavender stratus clouds, surrounded by a glow of marigold toward the horizon. ]
"I miss my kid." "Just found out Rosie O'Donnell's son shipped out for bootcamp one week before my son. It moved me because I know what she's going through."
My Son Leaves For Boot Camp:
"Right after my son took his final oath." Right After My Son Took His Final Oath 2017
[Image Description: A close-up black and white photographic image of mother and son, hugging. Both figures face left, his eyes closed, hers open. He is wearing a dark button up shirt, top button open. His mother, has long dark hair, with short, v-shaped bangs. She wears what appears to be a winter coat with a fuzzy collar. ]
Goodbyes 2017
[Image Description: A black and white photographic Cat hugging her son, her back to the viewer, his arm around her back. Figures of two young men in the background, not in focus.]
"Today was a hard day for me. I watched my son take his final oath as an active duty member of the military. I tried not to blubber too much, but I failed miserably. He was, however, surrounded by family and friends - because he is loved - and that is immeasurable to me. J and I stayed for hours, even after all the parents left. I even got to talk to the other recruits going to San Diego. They were all fresh-faced, eager young men. Three of the boys assured me, "Don't worry, we'll take care of him!" I replied, "You promise?!? Because he's my only child!" After that exchange, I experienced the most intense instinct - I wanted to mother them all. [I would also like to give props to J for patiently waiting around with me. I was not an easy person to deal with today.] A few hours later, we followed the shuttle to the airport. I wanted to properly say goodbye to my son. But I also wanted to say goodbye to the other poolees. I barked, "Be safe, boys! Take care of each other!" One of the poolees replied, "We will. We'll see you in three months!" I won't lie, I'm still heart broken. It is not easy to return home to all the emptiness. I'm going to fucking miss my kid. He's my reason. But I am comforted with the knowledge that my son has new family members.....as do I. [I'm going to post some blurry pics I took today. I wasn't trying to get perfect pictures, I was just trying to capture the moment.]" Hugging His Best Friend 2017
[Image Description: A black and white photographic image of Cat's son and his best friend hugging. They are both in silhouette A woman looks on from the right frame, in the background, not in focus.]
The Shuttles Shipping Off The Recruits 2017
[Image Description: A black and white photographic image of two vans, parked in a parking lot.]
"Because life is unpredictable....my son's ship date for bootcamp was changed back to it's original schedule: (.............). So in between my ugly cries, my son has obliged me with his time. I don't need a holiday to consider this the most precious gift." "My son is now older than I was in this pic. Craziness." Now Older Than I Was
[Image Description: A faded colour photographic snapshot of the artist, Cat, with her son as a baby in diapers. They are both waving to the camera. They are standing outside, next to a shrub, in front of a car.]
"My Reason" My Reason 2017
[Image Description: A colour photographic image of a male young adult, wearing black button-up shirt and slack, standing on a beach, facing away from the camera toward the water.]
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