Home - James Robison

James Robison – born October 11, 1946.

This was a nice clean story.

It was an assurance to the reader that we all have insecurities and doubts no matter what age, over a wide variety of reasons and situations.

We have people and family that enter and exist in our lives, and the influence that those people have over us, as well as their actions, often cause ripples which in turn, can develop into massive waves, disrupting our life and causing distress.

We can wish and hope that loved ones act a certain way but they are in the end their own person. We have to deal with their decisions. They are family.

Several days ago, as I eased into a corner kitchen table, mind cloudy from wine and brandy (tucia for you Romanians), I overheard my brother-in-law tell his father that he was going to Afghanistan with the Army (Romanian) on the 22^nd. Now, I don’t remember if I walked in mid conversation, or if he thought that my Romanian wasn’t good enough to understand or if he knew that my knowing would eventually happen.

But now it gets interesting. At that moment, the people that knew were his wife, his Dad and me. He wants to, and intends to keep his deployment, a secret from his mother. Before I could discuss the issue concerning my mother-in-law, I pressed him to tell M. I mean, I really pressed him.

In the drunken brother way – knowing full well that this decision to go was a decision he wanted...he petitioned to go. He is, in his heart, a soldier.

So, about ½ an hour later, he tells M.

M is of course not happy with his plan or the fact that he wants to go to Afghanistan.

The conversation develops into so many directions – as one would expect a conversation of this type to develop.

Not to get any deeper into this story, but, in the end, we left Romania last week knowing that he was off to Afghanistan in a couple of weeks. The entire family knows – minus his mother. He is an adult. He knows what could happen to him over there. He knows what could happen to his mother if she knows...or never knows.

My prediction –

This is not going to end well.

But, he is family, this is our family, and this is a small ripple that is going to turn into a massive wave.

Three that know.

(L-R, Me, M and her brother)

Please be safe.