Holidays Apart

I know it’s only September, well almost October. The holidays both Jewish and regular are all around me. The only issue is that my husband is once again in a distant land serving our country. Would I change this?
NO! I love David, I love everything, well almost everything about him. His putting service to our country ahead of himself is part of what I love about him. I know some of you just don’t believe me, but there’s something very special about the men and women who wear the uniform. No, I won’t bore you with everything that makes them so special, but let’s just say they are usually some of the best people you will ever meet.

So what’s a person alone on all of the upcoming holidays to do?Continue reading→

I think I live in Mayberry

I live in a place where kids still play outside and neighbors still talk to each other. I can ask any random neighbor for a favor and have no worries. I have to be careful when I’m driving home to make sure I don’t run into a child on a bike. From what I hear this is not what the average person in America experiences in this day and age.

I live on a US Army base, in fact it’s a mega base (aka a huge base). It’s a small city, we have two grocery stores (commissaries) and two stores for general merchandise (PX) and seven convenience stores (Shoppettes). There are a number of schools on base and a hospital, I really don’t have to leave base if I don’t feel like it. We even have a a post office, library and bowling ally. There are places to eat, and play right here.

I think the reason we all respect each other, for the most part is that everyone on base understands what its like when a loved one is deployed, hurt or just can’t talk about work. I hear the planes from the flight line and the guns from the ranges. To me these sounds are normal and are the sounds of freedom. The noise may occasionally drown out the television but it’s worth it. I feel very safe on base, to the point i have fallen asleep (unintentionally) with my doors unlocked and when I awoke everything was just fine. My neighbors know and look out for my cats. The grocery store even takes your groceries out the your car for you, try finding that service in most places these days. I am truly blessed to enjoy such an environment.

I wish there were more places like this left in this country, I find it very sad that more people don’t have the same experiences I do. Yes, I move every few years but the military is like a family. Know we don’t all know each other but, when one of us needs help we all chip in.

I think America would be a much better place if there were more places like this and more people could experience what I have by being an Army wife. I’m issuing a challenge to each and every person out there to try the following:

Say hi to a neighbor
Take your kids out to play, yes tear them away from the gadgets for a while
Help a neighbor carry in their groceries
Sit outside once in a while, you never know who you’ll meet
Talk to a member of the local police, just to say Hi

Just try it you never know what you’ll start.

“I didn’t want to bother you.” What it really means to me.

Okay as some of you know I have become a wheelchair user. I have noticed several things after this change occurred in my life. I was once a very active volunteer. First I was told that a handicapped accessible museum did not want or need wheelchair users as volunteers. So I thought about fighting this but decided to just move on and spend my time where I would be valued. So I moved on to try and volunteer with the FRG (Family Readiness Group).

I kept hearing the same refrain “I didn’t want to bother you with…”

This frustrated me beyond belief. If I’m reaching out offering my time you are not bothering me. I soon decided that “I didn’t want to bother you” actually translates to “I didn’t think you could do be of any use since you are in a wheelchair. That is very offensive. So for a while I just hid and ignored the world. Yes, I admit that was not the best idea, but I needed time to adjust to having wheels.

So after getting a new ultra light chair I found even more freedom and abilities. I decided it was time to get back out there. I moved forward with the knowledge that I would have to work 5 times as hard as my cohorts since they were walking. I had to prove I could make valuable contributions from my chair.

I set out to get any and all certifications I could so that I would be more valuable to the FRG. So far I have 5, a 6th will come soon. I have been welcomed by the new leadership of the FRG and made some wonderful new friends.

In short I’m saying don’t tell someone you didn’t want to bother them, if they are offering you help. It’s no bother they want to be included. Just because someone is a wheelchair user, don’t count them out, they know their own limits. They can probably do more than you think. If you think something is to difficult for them, ask don’t assume.

My husband will be deploying next year my biggest concern is how to get the trash can to the curb and back. Yep thats it, the trashcan. He knows his job I can take care of myself, the rest is just noise.

A special Saturday at ASOM

This morning was not the Saturday to sleep in, despite the late night writing session last night. My husband David and I were due at the Airborne & Special Operations Museum in a few hours. First on the agenda was coffee, running out of coffee in our house is a crime. After completing a number of the normal household type chores we changed and headed off to the museum for their Medal of Honor Day. We were both assigned biographies and tables in separate areas of the museum. I was given two biographies from Somalia. I was stationed in the lobby near a permanent display about the Medal of Honor. While I was there I was able to read the stories of other recipients on the monitors behind me. A second monitor was interviews with those who earned the Medal of Honor and lived to tell their own story. Shortly after starting the interview with Colonel George Day, who earned the medal as a Major. Day was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam and managed to escape, he was recaptured and spent five more torturous years in the Hanoi Hilton, sharing a cell with Senator John McCain. After interview with Day ended I found that there was a small group standing next to me.
A retired soldier standing next to me started up a conversation about the museum and the various exhibits. His eyes filled with tears when I mentioned to him that our next temporary exhibit would cover the story of Mogadishu. I found out that he had been there and in fact personally knew the two men who earned the Medal of Honor for their acts of heroism during that siege. After a bit more conversation he told me part of his story from that horrific day.

I would like to challenge all of my followers to read at least one of the stories of a Medal of Honor recipient.