Dear Mom,

I finally found a moment and knew I had to write.  It's been too long since I did but things have been so very busy and I knew you'd understand.  You always do.

A lot has happened since I came to the Yard and Mother B is a poor substitute for you.  There were times that I didn't think I could survive another day. I look back now and remember how on I-Day, I knew it was finally happening for sure.  We'd all worked so hard to get the appointment and waited with baited breath for the final confirmation.  You got the call and were so happy for me. I was on my way to Annapolis.  I'd been accepted into the Academy!

I was really sorry that Dad couldn't be there on I-Day but maybe it was better that he wasn't.  You and I shared so much that day without saying a word.   I wanted to run back and hold on to you with every fiber of my being but I knew if I did, that would be the end of your "I've got to be strong for him" facade.  I cried to myself when I walked away, that last time to hurry into Mother B.  I was so scared.  Did I make the right choice?  Was this really what I wanted to do with my life?  Maybe I should have gone to college back home like we discussed.  I was truly alone for the first time in my life.  No one saw the quiet tears almost run down my face and I couldn't let it show.  What would the others think of me?  At that moment, I was really alone.

Plebe Summer was tough.  There's no way I can tell you what it was like.  My old friends back home from high school wouldn't understand.  They're still such kids.  I learned so much this summer.  I learned that I'm stronger and more self-reliant than I thought myself capable of being.  I learned that there are other things in life besides parties and sports and TV.  I learned that "family" means a lot.  When I got to make "The" call to home and you answered the phone, my heart skipped a beat.   I wanted to jump through the phone and give you a hug.   I could hear the tremble in your voice.  I knew you wanted to help but, Mom, there wasn't anything you could do.  I was here and I really wanted to be here. I wanted it more than anything I ever wanted before.  I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.  Whatever, IT was.

Looking back, it really WAS worth it.   I'm a better person now.  I've come to know myself.  My limits and my faults.  My strengths, too. I'm stronger both mentally and physically.  I don't know how to tell you this but...  I've grown up, Mom.  I came here as your little boy and I left him behind.  I've become the man you always knew I would be. It's because you had real confidence in me.  It's because you told me I could get through even the worst of times.  It's because you were so sure that I could, that I did.  It's because you told me that you loved me.

Thank you.  I love you, too.