Monday, July 29, 2019

My Grandson is Off to the Marine Boot Camp

 Today I'm having a bittersweet tea party for myself.  My firstborn grandchild is off to Marine Boot Camp.   The little soldier on the plate, was a reminder for everyone to take one and say a prayer for Connor when they looked at it at home. 

 I'll be praying for this child as I always have even before he was born.

 My daughter had the best farewell party for Connor!!  She has such a knack for planning parties and I think it was a very cathartic experience for her to do this for him.

 She had this beautiful prayer posted.


Guess who made the beautiful cake??  Cissy did, of course!! 


 

 Here's the inside of the pretty three layer cake. The canteen holder on the left belonged to my late beloved, when he was in the Army Reserves.

 Aren't these decorated cookies so pretty?

 Here's my daughter with her four kids, at the end of the evening.  Please pray for my daughter as this has been such an emotional journey for her.  She gets on scripted phone call from him when he get to boot camp, and then can't talk to him for 13 weeks.  

Now I'm crying as I type this, thinking of my grandson with pride, but also sad that he is leaving.  May God watch over this fine young man. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. 



I am sharing this with these lovely parties:

38 comments:

  1. The Lord Himself will watch over Connor. Goodness, I did not know that there are 13 weeks of silence between recruit and family. That is going to require some prayers for sure. Connor will be praying for his family and you’ll be praying for him. As precious as that printed prayer is, God does not take any strength from persons to share with others. He has no need to do this as He is more than able to take care of the needs. Many blessings to all and especially to Connor as he stands up to serve his country. I know that you are all very proud of him and what a send-off! He knows how much you love him. Saying a prayer for all for comfort and peace of mind.

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  2. An emotional post indeed Kitty. I know you're proud of Connor and I wish him all the best in the Marines:@)

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  3. Kitty, Your post, prayer and daughter's send off made me teary-eyed this morning. I love the cookies and pretty cake Cissy decorated, along with the take-away soldier for everyone as a reminder to keep Connor in their prayers. I know your daughter must be bursting with a mix of pride and anxiety over Connor's decision to become one of The Few. The Proud. Sending your family love and prayers and taking a toy soldier (and cookie!) with me. ♥

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  4. Kitty, what a wonderful send off for Connor! It's not easy letting them go, but so rewarding seeing them grow into a wonderful adult. xo

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  5. You have a wonderful family. We thank Conner for his love of our Country. I will be happy to remember him in my prayers; as well as all your family.

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  6. Awe, thanks for sharing your Tea with us, Kitty. May God bless and keep your grandson as he serves our country!

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  7. What a wonderful send off party for your grandson. I wish him a lot of luck in his future and prayers for all of you.

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  8. It is an amazing post...God bless Connor and all of your adorable Family!

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  9. Oh my Kitty - this IS an emotional post! The photos are really wonderful! It is so tough to have to say goodbye, but the pride you will feel when your Marine comes home, will be mind-blowing! All of this certainly stirs my heart as my Marine left for boot camp soon after graduation too. Connor certainly knows he's loved and prayed for! May God bless him in special ways as he goes through the process of becoming a proud US Marine. I'm proud to say my Marine still has so much Marine pride, even these 50 years later!! Praying for you and your whole family during these days of adjusting to a 'new normal'. HUGS!!XO

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  10. Best wishes for you and your daughter, Kitty. Connor will be a fine Marine. Thank you, Connor, for your willingness to serve our great country, and may God forever be with you!

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  11. What a great send-off for Connor. It's not easy letting go, but we trust that God will keep Connor safe.

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  12. Best wishes for Connor and the family back home.

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  13. Oh Kitty! I know this must be so hard for your daughter and family and for you. Of course prayers for all. What a wonderful send-off for your grandson. The lovely cake from Cissy and your husband's canteen made it so special and the beautiful prayer. Best wishes for your Connor for a successful camp for Connor. God Bless.....

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  14. Prayers and blessings Kitty, for you all! Your grandson is so brave, and what an incredible mature direction his life is taking! The send off party was delightful, Cissy's red white and blue cake and the memorabilia from your late husband, what a wonderful tribute! I know you all are scared and sad, try to focus on his strength and determination and be so PROUD! 🇺🇸
    Jenna

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  15. I will keep your daughter and grandson in my prayers. I am a mom and can imagine how hard this is. What a beautiful sendoff you all gave him.

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  16. Dearest Kitty , will pray for Connor and you all . Such a bittersweet time i know . Happy and sad but oh so proud . What a beautiful prayer ❤️ The cake is adorable . That sweet girl might have her own bakery one day . Many blessings to you Kitty and prayers . Hugs and blessings , Cindy

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  17. Dear Kitty, I can so relate to the emotional up and down of your grandson leaving, one of our grandsons joined the navy a few years back it was so hard saying good by but we were bursting with pride and am still so proud of him.Please thank your grandson for his service to our great country. Sending lovely thoughts and much prayer.
    Blessings,
    Sue

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  18. What a beautiful, hard, sad send off you all gave him. So many precious touches of love! Cissy did a tremendous job on that cake!! She's had a great teacher :)

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  19. Aw, Kitty, what a sweet and poignant post. I love the idea of everyone taking a little soldier and using it as a reminder to pray. Blessings to you and your daughter as you wait and pray and to Connor as he faces the rigors of boot camp. Your granddaughter made a beautiful cake -- I know where she got her baking skills! xo

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  20. May God bless & keep your sweet grandson safe!! I'll be praying for him! This was a lovely send-off. Thanks so very much for sharing it with us. ♥♥♥

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  21. Oh Kitty...what a wonderful send off you all have given your Connor. The cake (go Cissy!), the cookies and all the décor made for a fabulous party...as bittersweet as it had to be! I know you and his parents are so very proud of his decision to serve his country. I may be finding myself in this same position by the end of this summer as our Dylan (Aaron's youngest) is planning to go into the Army. May our God keep a watch over this precious young man...and also give peace to you and his parents. Hugs and much love!

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  22. As your grandson is preparing to leave for the Marines - I am just readying to become a Grandma! You must have tons of advice! Thanks for stopping in to see the shower. We had loads of fun. Prayers to you and your family as you send him off. The cake and the cookies were perfect!

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  23. Such a fabulous sendoff party for your Connor. The cake Cissy made is so pretty. Wonderfully decorated cookies. May he be safe as he serves his country. One of my sons served in the Marines. I am doing well Kitty. Just healing takes time. xo

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  24. I saw your post on Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday. My son went to bootcamp back in 2015 - graduated in July! It was so hot. The scripted phonecall is terrible. All you hear is yelling in the background and no interaction. It helped me to printout the 13 week schedule and post it in my cubicle at work. That way I knew what he was doing each week. I looked forward to letters. I got a few. They are so very busy and tired. But I wrote almost every day.
    Connor will be a changed person when y'all see him at graduation. They all lose a lot of weight. It is a transforming experience for each recruit.
    When you send letters and cards (NO BOXES or packages unless he asks for something) make them as plain as possible. You don't want to cause him to be ridiculed by the Drill Instructors.
    Hope all goes well and you get to attend the graduation. It is very moving. And you will be so very proud.
    Melissa

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your helpful information, Melissa. I will pass your comments on to my daughter. It’s nice to hear from someone who has been through this.
      Your comment came as a no reply comment blogger, so I don’t have your email. I hope you see this.

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  25. Dearest Kitty, oh how proud you should be (and are!). I will add Connor to my prayer list. What an honor to have him serve in the military.

    I am back from my writing sabbatical and am starting anew. I look forward to catching up! xo

    PS I'm your newest follower.

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  26. Oh, Kitty! I feel so sad thinking of your daughter not being able to talk to him for 13 weeks! Can you imagine? And, you, too. My heart goes out to you both. I know you are so very proud of him, and I trust God will send angels to watch over his every move and protect him spiritually and physically. Some of the stages of life are so very difficult. May God bless all of you and hold you extra close.

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  27. Kitty,I so enjoyed reading this posting and what a lovely send off!
    That cake is delightful!
    I will certainly add your prayer request to my prayer journal and will be praying for you all.

    Love to you~

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  28. Hi Kitty and welcome to the military families who represent this country.I have been a military Mom for 36 years and now have Grands who are also active duty and deployed. We presently have one active duty Marine and 2 retired Marine's with other's of our children serving in other branches of the military. Your daughters party was so special for such a special young man. We always pray Psalm 91 for all our military family and will include your Connor in that prayer. God Bless you and your family and thank you for the service and sacrifice. People really never realize that it is the whole family that serves.
    Love & Hugs
    Miz Helen

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  29. Oh what a brave grandma and mama! We always pray for our military members. What a wonderful service he will be giving. I would be so nervous too! The going away party looks wonderful. Hugs to you!

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  30. i am crying as i type this...all of you are so brave and so thoughtful to let us know about all of this. now, knowing, you have given your grandson a great gift...the prayers of all your blogging friends. much love to you.

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  31. My heart hurts for your daughter but you should both be so proud. It looks like his sendoff was fabulous!

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  32. What a great send off for Connor, I wish him well.

    All the best Jan

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  33. Congratulations, your awesome post is featured on Full Plate Thursday, 444. Thanks so much for sharing with us and have a great week!
    Miz Helen

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  34. How do you suppose you'll lug around your skis and all its accompanying equipment? With a ski boot bag, that's how! leather boot bag

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