A Blue Star Mom Shares Her Story

To All Blue Star Moms,

When I got this email asking to update my son’s address for a Christmas package it brought back such a good memory for me when last year held not much more than worry, anxiety and angst. Last year my boy was deployed and I never thought I would make it through the year…as a matter of fact sometimes I almost did not.

I reached out several times to the Blue Star moms for comfort and that is exactly what I got. To my surprise on the end of the phone line I found someone who knew and understood that the sight of coffee syrup on the grocery shelf was reducing me to tears. She knew that it is likely, acceptable and expected to wake up in the morning and burst into tears, just because the sun was shining or the snow was beautiful or there were left over lunch bags that might go used.

Then I got the email about packages for Christmas. I sent in my son’s deployment address. Shortly after that I received a call from my son. He was laughing and happy, a much different tone from that which I had become accustomed. He began to describe a scene at base camp of a soldier waking past him. As my son passed the solider he immediately noticed the coffee syrup under his arm. My son came to an abrupt stop and pointing to the coffee syrup asked the solider “where did you get that?” The solider said “over there Sir, there is a package with your name on it” My son rushed over and saw what he described to me as a large container of RI. He told about his excitement in discovering everything RI. He told his soldiers “you don’t understand this is how I grew up!!”

My son spent the next few minutes laughing with the soldiers and telling stories about RI and these things that were so special to him. He told them about the coffee syrup and how it is used (they thought it was a coffee additive) the Dels Lemonade mix, the Providence Journal, Paw Sox and Red Sox games and all of the other special items in the package.

This gift from the Blue Star moms made his Christmas and the resulting phone call from him lifted my deployment depression, if just for a little bit.

Thank you Blue Star Moms!!

Much love and gratitude

Rose Bottari