Jo's Cafe

Repeat after me:
“Do not watch the news, do not watch the news, do not watch the news — especially when a loved one is deployed to the sand box.”

You’d've thought I learned when he was in Bosnia NOT.TO.WATCH.THE.NEWS!

So I’m rocking along yesterday afternoon and decided to check up on the news at FoxNews.com, especially the stuff going on with the prison riots in Kabul.

Then I saw this headline: GI Dies Fighting Taliban Rebels in Afghanistan

Okay — breath Jo, breath. Read the article first. So I did. No names, understandable. Then a quote from General Freakley, the former CG of Fort Benning and my husband’s two time commander:

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of one of our fellow service members,” said Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, a U.S. commander.

I know he talked to Gen. Freakley, because he’s just told me on the phone yesterday morning.

WAIT!! You talked to him Jo — think. Breath. It was 7:30 pm, he was in his office and heading to his bunk.

Okay, okay — he’s fine. I’d know if he wasn’t — right?

But the nugget of news in my brain stayed there and festered most of the rest of the afternoon and evening. I kept flipping to Fox to check the scroll during commercials of the Amazing Race and Boston Legal.

Went to bed with tears at the ready and a minor panic attack going on.

This morning — I get two e-mails from him (thank you god), with pictures from their latest mission.

He’s fine.

I feel stupid.

I’ve said it before, and now I feel it more and more, the news reporting XX soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan does nothing for the families waiting at home. I won’t stop watching the news, but I think I taught myself a lesson the past 24 hours.

Now I’m going to go find some SOTDs for you before I got to work.