The War of Military Transition

Mary was in her mid 20s and her mother was in her late 60s. One day her mom called her at work. Mary was the business manager of a nonprofit, deep in a month-end reconciliation.

“I need to see you,” she said. “It’s urgent.”

Mary grabbed her purse and ran for the door, pausing only to poke her head in the boss’s office to tell him she had to go. She had a family emergency. The boss nodded gravely and asked Mary to keep him posted, and to let him know if there was anything he could do.

Arriving on the scene, Mary saw her mother sitting in frozen silence. Tears streaming down her cheeks, a ripped and crumpled envelope resting on her lap.

Mary walked slowly toward her. “What’s happened?”

Mary took the letter and read it, then read it through a second time. She raised her eyes to her mother’s face.

“Oh, Ma,” Mary said.

Evidently, her 60 year old mother wanted to become a psychotherapist. Mary’s mom, without telling her beforehand, had applied to a master’s program that offered a specialized degree - and she got in.

“You didn’t tell me you applied,” Mary said.
“I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want to jinx myself.”

Mary grinned. “You’re some hot mama.”

She brushed the wetness from her cheeks.

“Can you believe I got in?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry I called you away from work, but I just had to tell you in person.”

Mary knelt before her mom, placed the letter on the carpet and smoothed it out, then grasped her hands. “I think we should make a rule. Every time you get into grad school, you should call me away from work.”
They hugged, and all Mary could think was she hoped every family emergency she’d ever face ended like this.

Just like Mary’s mother, we all go through a transition some point in life.

I was reading The War of Military Transition, written by yours truly. Some friends indicated they want the book in print form. We were be able to make the book available in print after several requests. You can grab a copy on Amazon.