I am a Brat

My best friend, Roni, favorite response to something I have done or said is --- "you are such a brat". How true this statement is!

I was born a brat, a NAVY Brat that is. As a true brat, my family and I have moved all over the world. By the age of 3, I had visited more of the world than most Americans would travel in a lifetime. The knowledge that home is where the heart is (or rather where the suitcase is) and the family--with no dependence on the dwelling.

As a brat, I reinvented my life with each move - new schools, new friends, and sometimes new languages. Some of the best joys in my life were the joys of meeting new friends. However with joy there is always pain. The pain has coming in turning to the next chapter in my life and leaving my friends. Goodbyes are never easy, but I have learned being a NAVY brat there are no goodbyes, only see you on the flip side. I have run into old friends in some of the unusally places.

Now with the wonders of the internet, getting reconnected with other brats. We have gotten to reminisce about old times. I feel closer to my brat friends and family than I do to some of my blood relatives. I have been in their weddings, celebrated the birth of their children and cried when their life ended years too soon.

With our military in the news constantly these days, I think about my days as a Navy Brat living in Italy. Our daddies were protecting our freedoms and rights as an American. I learned how to honor our flag and our soliders, for without them where would we be? Pride fills my hear when I the Star-Spangled Banner whether is it at the symphony or at a baseball game.

I would not change a minute of my life. The traveling has allowed me to experience many different cultures. Even though when I left one place and I left part of me behind, I knew the next chapter of my life would introduced new friends, new culture and most of all a new part of me that I didn't even know I was missing.

My life has been truly blessed!