Journey With ME

Jesus is my “battle buddy”. He is my travel companion; I don’t go anywhere without him and he is always with me.

After high school, my oldest daughter headed to Boot Camp with the Army. She was actually swore in on March 19, 2013 a day which I was grateful because it is the Feast of St. Joseph, Jesus’ Father on earth. This gave me much peace to know she would have additional support as she took off on this adventure.

As a Mom, watching your first born make a decision like this is bittersweet. You are proud they want to do something so selfless but you are also sad to let them go. I think it’s especially difficult because they jump right into Boot Camp where they have limited communication. I think total we got to speak on the phone three times and the letters I received in return compared to the ones I’d written were one to my five.

During that time, I relied on my “battle buddy” a lot to keep from getting sad or worrying. At the time, I didn’t call Jesus my “battle buddy”, that happened later once my daughter came home and shared with me this military concept. She said each soldier is assigned a person and they are to never leave their side or let them out of your site. She said you are responsible for that person and they are responsible for you.

Now for many years I have had this Jesus figurine which I purchased at the Dollar Tree and it travels with me everywhere! I generally keep it in my car, on my dashboard, in full site. If I travel out of town on a plane, I pack my Jesus figurine in a side pocket of a backpack, still in full view. It is a constant and a non-negotiable. Jesus is my “battle buddy” and I his, no matter where I go, Jesus is there on the journey with me!