Jason Bedell Online

So before I entered the world (crowd applauds) there was my Mom and Dad. Dad was a recovering Catholic/Navy man and my Mom was a church going Protestant/Teacher. A match made in heaven- sort of.

They met in a bar/restaurant on base at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. They danced, he was apparently a little too charming. She gave him her number (probably not the best call). He calls in the next day or so and their next date was to "church?!" What?

Yep. My mom figured if that didn't scare him away, nothing would. Three months later they were married and off to tour the world compliments of the Navy stationing them overseas. Upon returning, in 1979 their little bundle of pure hell and torture arrived (yours truly- wink, wink).

Along the way we got stationed here in Hampton Roads, my brother was on his way and so begins the memories... some of which I didn't want to remember.

As a kid I remember my dad not being around as much. With deployments and traveling, it was pretty much mom at the helm. One time in particular I remember being so angry with my mom for leaving me with my dad. She was in the hospital having my brother and I remember not even wanting to talk to her. I gave her this ridiculous attitude like I had been abandoned. But that's how I felt. I didn't really know my dad at the time because he wasn't anything more than a photo covered in contact paper. Being with him as opposed to mom was pretty unsettling. Now don't get me wrong, I love my parents and thank God for the Navy job my father had, but if you're a military family- you know the pain that takes place when separated. It's so difficult. I wonder what the next generation of kids with parents gone will be like from this war that we've been at for so long...

So, my mom was the spiritual push for quite some time- and I hated it. And I hated God.

We'll talk about that next time.