Blonde moment

And the silver spoon.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

So you know a service member’s spouse…

Everyone knows of a service member or their family member who has experienced a crisis. People ask me all the time what they can do for families. So, if you personally know (meaning, you know them in person and not over the internet) a service member’s spouse, here are some things you can do for them.

Even a spouse with a reliable car (like me) needs car maintenance. If you take care of your spouse’s car, offer to take care of your neighborhood service member spouses car. If you can’t afford to pay for both, heck, the spouse would be happy to just call you to take it to the mechanic so they don’t have to take the time to do it themselves.

Who takes care of your lawn? Assume a service member’s family has a similar arrangement. Offer to automatically go over to your neighborhood service member’s yard and mow it, fertilize it, and generally take care of it.

Have your neighborhood military spouse over for dinner. Have your wife take them out. Baby-sit their kids so they can get out with the girls. Before their husband leaves, tell them you’re keeping an eye out on the family.

Know a single soldier? What do you do for your parents? Odds are good that their parents might need the same thing.

What if you don’t know a soldier’s family personally? Call the Family Assistance Center and offer gift certificates to your mechanic, your local grocery chain, Target, a department store, a salon, a mall, a movie theater, day care centers, lawn service, whatever.

None of the above sound glamorous. But, it’s the little things that alleviate some of a soldier’s worry. Josh doesn’t worry about me much because I am taken care of. Know a spouse or family member, take care of them the way you would want someone to take care of your spouse if roles were reversed. You do the little things, you’re showing you can be counted on when crisis hits.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

So, it’s been eighteen months…

Eighteen LOOOOOOONG months. I picked up a copy of Josh’s orders this week. And I’m getting a “so your husband has been extended” present with Josh’s extra pay… new tires for the car! Yea! (Aren’t you glad I can do that all by myself, Josh?)

My mom hit something on the head recently. I’m not sure who I can be real with. I’m glad when people ask about Josh. It shows he’s an important part of our church and the community. And I do support the mission, really, I do. But, often, my feelings at any given time can be misconstrued as opinions.

Why must everything be so black and white? Why must my missing Josh more then anything indicate that I’m not in favor of the mission? Why must my being in favor of the mission mean that I can’t feel the pain of the deployment?

Sure, I signed up for this the day I married Josh. But I find that when military spouses are going through “worse,” in the “for better or worse,” we get no emotional support. We’re told to “buck up,” and “embrace the suck.” Heaven forbid, though, if I say the same thing to anyone else facing struggles in life.

Josh celebrated his birthday Sunday. He was supposed to celebrate it at home. He won’t be home for our anniversary. This will be our second consecutive anniversary apart. He won’t be home for most of the baseball season. I hope he’ll be home for my birthday. Both soldiers and their families are real. They have real emotions. They deal with separations the same way other people do; we just have more at stake. I’m not Wonder Woman. I’m just me.

And so, I will deal with the deployment the same way I have been. Get out of bed in the morning. Shuffle off to work. Go grocery shopping. Come home. E-mail Josh. Go to church on Sunday. And pray every night for the safe return of my husband and all the troops. And by the grace of God, I will carry on.


Update…
Thanks to Powerline for the space and platform.

Thanks for the wishes, DS, and also the Bible verse and song!

I love you, too, HG!

Mike, just stay involved. The Fraters have let it be known that there’s a guy who needs some help with reintegration. Also, there are a variety of organizations set up to benefit soldiers. Check out Soldier’s Angels , Operation Minnesota Nice , or your local Family Assistance Center for opportunities to help out.

Chad,
I just think it’s cool the way NARN, and the Fraters , in particular, are good to the community. You all are truly servants and it is a pleasure to read your blog.

King and Barbara ,
Thanks especially for your support! I admire Barbara a great deal. And Josh and I are looking forward to getting together some time this fall!

Thanks for the prayers, Sissy and Hockeymom.

God bless you all!

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

About Iran…

So, I had this nice little rant about Ben Shapiro’s latest column, but I sounded bitter and wretched about it. Here’s the big issue. If Mr. Shapiro is so concerned about us being bombed and terrorized, he should enlist. And if he doesn’t enlist, he is the one who will one day have to explain his cowardice to his children. For, if the West is committing suicide, one step at a time, he is complicit by his inaction.

Friday, March 23, 2007

What horror killer are you?

I'm Hannibal.

You scored as Hannibal Lecter. You are Hannibal Lecter. You dont need to eat human flesh to live, but do so because it just taste good. You are very intelligent, and enjoy using it to your advantage to keep people guessing. You arent a killing machine, but when you do decide to let loose, watch out! Dinner is served, with some fava beans, and a nice chianti!

Freddy Krueger

100%

Hannibal Lecter

100%

Pinhead

80%

Jigsaw

80%

Candyman

60%

Buffalo Bill

60%

Leatherface

40%

Captain Spaulding

20%

Jason Voorhees

20%

Michael Myers

20%

Which Horror Killer are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Happy St. Urho’s Day!

For more information, find “The Ode to St. Urho” and “The Ballad of St. Urho.”

Sorry this is up early, but I won’t have time to post it tomorrow morning!

Monday, March 12, 2007

A Sincere Thank You

To House MDiv. He likely posted this because of a movie he saw, but it offered me some encouragement during this really rough period.

Josh was supposed to be on his way home this week, and that makes this extension real. When we got the news in January, it didn’t matter nearly as much as it does now. In January, he was supposed to be in Iraq anyway. Now he is supposed to be coming home.

Josh really wanted to go to Iraq. He’s doing a job that he believes in, and that’s good enough for me. It’s nice to know other people see the vocation of soldier the same way. And the more I interact with Josh and the ladies in my FRG, the more I believe soldiering is indeed a vocation.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

I have a cow.

Actually, I have two of them now, but I have a new cow. He came with cowmooflage BDUs (bovine dress uniform). His MOS is pastry chef. He also claims to like peanut butter. Good thing I have some.

Pictures to follow.

Thanks Kara !

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

Posting on happy things…


I feel the desperate need to post on happy things. So, here is a picture of Jumpy Kitty and Puss. Puss is the Kitty with white feet.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Special for Pouncy Kitty…

Spies the enemy...
Gets ready....
Gets rid of the enemy....
I'm a good kitty...
Dear Pouncy Kitty,

We wish you were coming home, but you are not. That is fine because you are doing important work by keeping Josh’s stuff safe from Superman. The extension will be long but we will help each other and Liz just like you help Josh.

Do not forget that it is almost baseball season, and you come home during baseball season.

Go Twins.

Love,
Jumpy Kitty, Aria Kitty, Puss, Rhapsody Kitty, and the rest of the Kitties, Lambies, and things.


And now for something deep…

Paul Gregory Alms from Incarnatus Est talks about what happens when we die .

He seems to have two points:
1. Saying, “When one dies, one goes to Heaven” in and of itself without clarification leads to false teaching.
2. Only saying “When one dies, one goes to Heaven” leaves out a lot of the rich Biblical teaching, including the important doctrine of the Resurrection of the Body.

It is certainly interesting food for thought.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Has anyone else ever thought…

That the eldest oyster is complicit in the demise of the little oysters?

The eldest oyster must have known what was about, to first of all have lived long enough to become the eldest, and second, to have that knowing wink of his…

Socialized Healthcare is Bad…

Why? If the government screws it up for its veterans, what makes you think it will take care of you?

Oh, by calling it "bad," I am not making a moral statement, rather, it is just bad healthcare.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Guess what I will be doing

On July 27th?

Some things are more important then reading the new Harry Potter. But, yes, I will be reading that, too.