Finally……

November 1, 2006 on 8:30 pm | In Articles, Uncategorized |

Finally I get a chance to sit down to the computer to say “Hi” :)

Wow…It’s already November…Where did the time go? (brain goes numb with the thought of having to deal with a PCS and Christmas at the same time).

I have a question…

Does your calender suffer from inconsistency to holidays, birthdays and anniversaries?

Mine does :) I don’t know why I bother to buy calenders that have the holidays printed on them because I don’t think we have ever gone a year without moving a holiday. For example this month alone we have moved our anniversary and Thanksgiving due to the fact that DH will be gone. Also, in previous years when #1 DS was younger he refused to celebrate his birthday until Dad returned from deployment and we have even postponed Christmas.

I’m sure that if we were sitting together we’d be laughing about this because as a military familiy you’d understand exactly what I was talking about. As a military family we don’t have the luxury of having our loved ones home for the holidays or other special events in our lives. So, we have learned to be flexable with our time together. It’s not about the date that makes the holiday or event but the time that is shared with our love ones.

So, if you ever happen to come over for some hot chocolate or something a little stronger you’ll see my calender with its own unique holidays. I will also be happy to share the memories with you too. :)  

Talk to you later~ Denise

Since November is Military Appreciation Month, I wanted to share the poems at the bottom of this post. The author is unknown in some of the poems. If the poem happens to belong to you please e-mail me and I will add your name to it.

The Military Spouse

When the good Lord was creating military spouses, He was into His sixth day of overtime.

An Angel appeared and said, “You’re having a lot of trouble on this one. What’s wrong with the standard model?”

The Lord replied, “Have you ever seen the regulations? It has to be completely independent, must be sponsored to get on base, have the qualities of both mother and father during deployments; Be a perfect hostess to four or 40, handle emergencies without military orders, cope with the flu and move around the world, have a kiss that cures anything from a child’s torn valentine to a soldier’s weary day, have the patience of a saint when waiting for the unit to return stateside, and have six pairs of soft hands.”

The Angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pair of hands? No way!”

And the Lord answered, “Don’t worry. We’ll make other military spouses to help. Besides, it’s not the hands that are causing the problem - it’s the heart. It must swell with pride, sustain the ache of separation, beat soundly when it’s too tired to do so, be large enough to say ‘I understand’ when it doesn’t, and say ‘I love you,’ regardless.”

“Lord,” said the Angel, touching his sleeve gently, “go to bed. You can finish that tomorrow.”

“I can’t,” said the Lord. “I’m too close to creating something unique. Already I have one who can heal itself when sick, feed unexpected guests who are stuck in the area due to bad weather, and wave goodbye to its spouse from a pier or runway and understand it’s important to the country that the spouse leave.”

The Angel circled the model of the military spouse very slowly. “It’s too soft,” she sighed.

“But tough,” the Lord said excitedly. “You cannot imagine what this being can do or endure!”

“Can it think?” the Angel asked.

“Can it think? It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m.!” the Lord said.

Finally, the Angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. “There’s a leak,” she pronounced. “I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model.”

“It’s not a leak,” said the Lord. “It’s a tear.”

“What’s it for?” asked the Angel.

“It’s for joy, sadness, pain, loneliness and pride,” the Lord said.

“You’re a genius,” said the Angel.

The Lord looked somber and said, “I didn’t put it there.”

~Author Unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recipe For A Military Spouse 

1 1/2 cups Patience
1 lb. Adaptability
3/4 cup Tolerance
1 tsp. Courage
A Dash of Adventure

Combine above ingredients: Add 2 tablespoons elbow grease. Let sit alone for one year. Marinate frequently with salty tears. Pour off excess fat. Sprinkle lightly with money. “Knead” dough until payday. Season with international spices. Bake 20 years or until done…..

~Author unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IF YOU’RE NOT IN LOVE WITH A SOLDIER 

 If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t know adventure. You don’t
 know smelly gray PT uniforms that require a daily washing.  You can’t
 understand green and brown camouflaged bags flooding your bedroom floor. If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t understand the meaning of the 
phrase “going  to the field” and the weeks you spend away from each other.

 If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can never imagine the hole in your
 heart when that phone call comes? “Honey, I am leaving tomorrow to go
 overseas.  I don’t know how long I will be gone or exactly where I am going,
 but I want you to know that I love you - always!”

 If you’re not in love with a soldier, you don’t know what it’s like to say
 that final good-bye. You don’t know what it really means to be glued to the
 television. You don’t understand fear and you can’t possibly understand the
 sleepless nights of endless crying wondering if you will ever see the love
 of your life alive again.

 If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t know the immense joy, the
 uncontrollable smile, or the butterflies in your stomach when you see your
 soldier march into the family waiting area upon redeployment.  You can’t
 understand the self-control it takes to stand on the other side of the room
as some higher-up gives a seemingly endless welcome home speech while all
 the soldiers stand in formation. You don’t know what it’s like to have
that second first kiss or what it’s like to experience puppy love all over.

 If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t truly understand how to make
 every moment count because you never know when that phone call may come again.

 If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can never really understand how

 very delicate life really is!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am a small and precious child,my dads been sent to fight..
The only place I’ll see his face,is in my dreams at night.
He will be gone too many days for my young mind to keep track.
I may be sad,but I am proud. My daddys got your back..I am a caring mother. My son has gone to war..
My mind is filled with worries that I have never known before.
Everyday I try to keep my thoughts from turning black.
I may be scared,but I am proud..My son has got your back..

I am a strong and loving wife,with a husband soon to go.
There are times I’m terrified in a way most never know.
I bite my lip,and force a smile as I watch my husband pack..
My heart may break,but I am proud..My husbands got your back..

I am a soldier..Serving Proudly,standing tall.
I fight for freedom,yours and mine by answering this call.
I do my job while knowing,the thanks it sometimes lacks.
Say a prayer that I’ll come home. It’s me whose got your back.
by Autumn Parker

by~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens. But I am in the military in the ranks that are rarely seen. I have no rank upon my shoulders. 

Salutes I do no give, but the military world is the place where I live. 

I am not in the chain of command orders I do not get, but my husband does this I can not forget. I am not the one who fires the weapon, 

who puts my life on the line, but my job is just as tough I am the one that is left behind. 

My husband is a patriot a brave and pride filled man. And the call to serve his country not all understands. 

Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free.  My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me. I love the man I married. Soldiering is his life,

but I stand among the silent ranks known as the military wife.

~Author Unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over the years, I’ve talked a lot about military spouses … how special they are and the price they pay for freedom, too. The funny thing about it is most military spouses don’t consider themselves different from other spouses.

 

They do what they have to do, bound together not by blood or merely friendship, but with a shared spirit whose origin is in the very essence of what love truly is. Is there truly a difference? I think there is. You have to decide for yourself.

Other spouses get married and look forward to building equity in a home and putting down family roots. Military spouses get married and know they’ll live in base housing or rent, and their roots must be short so they can be transplanted frequently.

Other spouses decorate a home with flair and personality that will last a lifetime. Military spouses decorate a home with flair tempered with the knowledge that no two base houses have the same size windows or same size rooms. Curtains have to be flexible and multiple sets are a plus. Furniture must fit like puzzle pieces.

Other spouses have living rooms that are immaculate and seldom used. Military spouses have immaculate living room-dining room combos. The coffee table got a scratch or two moving from Germany, but it still looks pretty good.

Other spouses say goodbye to their spouse for a business trip and know they won’t see them for a week. They are lonely, but can survive. Military spouses say goodbye to their deploying spouse and know they won’t see them for months, or for a remote, a year. They are lonely, but will survive.

Other spouses, when a washer hose blows off, call Maytag and then write a check out for getting the hose reconnected. Military spouses will cut the water off and fix it themselves.

Other spouses get used to saying hello to friends they see all the time. Military spouses get used to saying goodbye to friends made the last two years.

Other spouses worry about whether their child will be class president next year. Military spouses worry about whether their child will be accepted in yet another new school next year.

Other spouses can count on spouse participation in special events … birthdays, anniversaries, concerts, football games, graduation, and even the birth of a child. Military spouses only count on each other; because they realize that the Flag has to come first if freedom is to survive. It has to be that way.

Other spouses put up yellow ribbons when the troops are imperilled across the globe and take them down when the troops come home. Military spouses wear yellow ribbons around their hearts and they never go away.

Other spouses worry about being late for mom’s Thanksgiving dinner. Military spouses worry about getting back from Japan in time for dad’s funeral.

And the television program showing an elderly lady putting a card down in front of a long, black wall that has names on it touches other spouses. The card simply says ‘Happy Birthday, Sweetheart. You would have been 60 today.’ A military spouse is the one with the card. And the wall is the Vietnam Memorial.

I would never say military spouses are better or worse than other spouses are. But I will say there is a difference.

And I will say that our country asks more of military spouses than is asked of other spouses. And I will say, without hesitation, that military spouses pay just as high a price for freedom as do their active duty husbands or wives.

Perhaps the price they pay is even higher. Dying in service to our country isn’t near as hard as loving someone who has died in service to our country, and having to live without them.

God bless our military spouses for all they freely give. And God bless America.

by retired: Lt. Gen. Edward J. Heinz

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prayer Wheel

“Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.”

 

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