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Full of Thanks
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday by far. Christmas and Easter shape my life but have become way too commercialized and, in general, we’ve lost the meaning. There’s not much pressure with Thanksgiving though. Wednesday I’ll turn the music up, bake some cookies, pies and bread. I’ll enjoy having the kids’ help once in awhile (especially with the cookie part) and then Thanksgiving, this year, we’ll head to hub’s family gathering; sixty to seventy of his closest relatives. No fuss, just family. I also love taking the time to enjoy what we are thankful for. This year, at dinner, we have gone around the table each day and said something we are thankful for. …
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US Navy Health Promotion and Wellness – DoD Blogger Roundtable
When we see images of our military community we see a young, vibrant and healthy group of Americans. But realistically our vision may be wrong. The Department of Defense spends $1 Billion per year on weight management, many still smoke and health and wellness are hot topics among the defense medical community and leaders. Talking health! See Below for Photo CreditYesterday Cmdr. Denise Gechas, Director of Population Health, Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center (NMCPHC) met with the Blogger Roundtable (BRT) to discuss the launch of the Navy’s health and wellness campaign. She was in Norfolk for the launch and the roundtable asked her about the campaign and she…
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A Prayer for the New Kids
This is for all the ‘new kids’: The shy kids, the anxious kids, the kids that have knots in their stomach because they don’t know the teachers, the building, the other kids. The kids who aren’t sure how they are going to remember which locker is theirs, where their locker is going to be, how long will it take to memorize their locker combination with all the other new things going on. The kids who wonder who they will sit with at lunch, who they will meet, laugh with, talk to, or will they just be alone unable to eat anyway with all these “new kid” anxieties. The kids who wonder…
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Ah the memories…
I am coming up on a milestone, my twenty-year High School graduation-anniversary. Some would say 20 year High School Reunion but, alas, there will be none of that for us. I graduated from a small DoD School at the now closed Keflavik NAS, Iceland. Thank you for the memories! Funny how this post from Wife on the Roller Coaster suddenly triggered one for me out of the blue. June 7, 1992, I graduated from high school in the middle of my /final/ pcs as a military-brat. We hopped on a plane back to the states June 10, 1992. There were moves after high school. Mom and Dad PCSed two times while I was…
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“The Doctor is in – Become an Engaged Patient”
Many of us avoid the doctor for years but there will be a time when all of sudden a family member or even yourself becomes a patient with more than a cold or the flu. You should have information on how best to be a good, no, great patient. As an aircrew member I enjoyed years of doing an annual physical and saying thank you and being on my way. We did deal with a chronic illness for one child but overall we had fantastic health and enjoyed using the military medical care system with few exceptions. When I saw this article on DoDLive, I wanted to see what the…
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Sarcoma Smarts
Some people know how to put exactly the right words down in writing so that your mind is able to take the jangle out of thoughts, desires, whim and fog. I walk in those feelings often. Dale was diagnosed with a rare cancer which is under the umbrella of Sarcoma. This sounded like some troll out of our long forgotten heritage: a member of our family hidden on our family tree that we didn’t know existed from an odd country. Sarcoma has come to visit and taken up residency in our thoughts and plans and tries to flick it’s ugliness into our faces a bit too often. Sarcoma scares occur: an odd bump, an increasing constant pain, a…
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Sermon Notes: The Soldier’s Psalm
Psalm 91 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at…
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Mentorship in Marriage
39 years ago today, I wasn’t but a sparkle in my mom’s eye as she walked down the aisle in her beautiful white dress on her dad’s arm. Her focus, my dad, her future! My future. My children’s future. I have been blessed. Since that wedding day the Lt. and Mrs. became Mom and Dad to three children, me and my two younger brothers. They took their family where the military sent them, far from their own families. They relied on each other, friends around them and the grace of God. Their three children grew up, got married and had children. Dad has retired from the Air Force after thirty-years…
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MilitaryAvenue Resource: Growing up in the Military #MilitaryChild
MilitaryAvenue Resource: Growing up in the Military In honor of Month of the Military Child I have compiled some resources and articles that are available to you, the parent, the community member, the military supporter. I will keep this list updated throughout April 2011 so come back often to see the latest news from the Department of Defense community: Growing up in the Military: A few years ago, a debate emerged on an Internet newsgroup for military brats about what kind of flower military children of military parents were most like. The consensus became the dandelion. Anne Manning Christopherson wrote, “How about the dandelion? The plant puts down roots almost…
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“The Five Minute Job”
Deb and I needed a vacation, a break from the cold of Michigan and a time to enjoy some sun … It had been a long time coming! Our vacation plans included stops in several locations to reduce the length of drive each day, to see close and extended family, visit an old PCS location with a warm spring climate, see friends from our first assignment (Indian Spring Air Force Auxiliary Field, Nevada – now Creech AFB) and more! We had an aggressive plan but one that allowed time with our elderly surviving parents too. Both of our dads are World War II veterans, 87 years old and like to…
