Today's Quote:
"The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them."- George Bernard Shaw
Lesson Learned: Keep learning, keep connecting.
Some days I feel like I won't ever sleep again. The up-side of that is that I have been able to read several books in the middle of the night.
As You Were: To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard By Christian Davenport. This book tracks the experiences of several Virgina Guardsmen and their families as they prepare for deployment, deploy and return home. Perhaps you will see yourself in this book. And even if you don't, it is a testament to the strengths of the human soul and a person's ability to survive. Christian Davenport is a journalist, and the book reads like a documentary at times - but the stories are so human and the lost and found hopes and dreams are so powerful, that you can't help but be drawn into them. This is not a "preachy political book," although politics is brought up where appropriate and sensitively done. It is also not a "blood and gore" book, but he minces no words describing the soldiers' experiences. I recommend it.
The Book of Positive Quotations compiled and arranged by John Cook. I have used this book to find inspiration to write on the backs of envelopes and on packages sent to the Middle East since 2004. It is not a replacement for your Bible or other Spiritual Teaching book, but it does have the power to help brighten or better some one's day. Many of the quotes I use on this website come from this book.
I'm Already Home...Again: Keeping your family close while on assignment or deployment (2nd ed.) by Elain Gray Dumler. Filled with tips and tricks learned by military families of all service branches. They are organized by "deployment" stages, and many are geared to families with children. There are also poems sprinkled throughout that remind us why we do this. A good, quick, light read.
But books are merely books, and the most precious thing I have found is connecting with other spouses and significant others. Younger, older, "been there, done that" or not - they have all found a way to help keep me going. Like a Band of Sisters, we lean on each other when we need propping up and we "high five" when someone hears from their soldier. We commiserate that we are looking at a year or so of celibacy and we bake cookies together and tell heart-warming stories of our soldiers. (I know, I know, those of you who know me know I don't cook, but I have participated in some joint cookie baking ventures - yes, even me). Some of the ladies I know only through email, but to my delight and sanity, I have also met some motivated and loving women in person. Reach out and touch someone. It's been a little tougher as we don't have a strong FRG system in place, but we are making our way. The Minute Men gathered together before This Great Nation was born, so we are part of a long tradition of women standing behind their Citizen Soldiers. That helps, too.
As You Were: To War and Back with the Black Hawk Battalion of the Virginia National Guard By Christian Davenport. This book tracks the experiences of several Virgina Guardsmen and their families as they prepare for deployment, deploy and return home. Perhaps you will see yourself in this book. And even if you don't, it is a testament to the strengths of the human soul and a person's ability to survive. Christian Davenport is a journalist, and the book reads like a documentary at times - but the stories are so human and the lost and found hopes and dreams are so powerful, that you can't help but be drawn into them. This is not a "preachy political book," although politics is brought up where appropriate and sensitively done. It is also not a "blood and gore" book, but he minces no words describing the soldiers' experiences. I recommend it.
The Book of Positive Quotations compiled and arranged by John Cook. I have used this book to find inspiration to write on the backs of envelopes and on packages sent to the Middle East since 2004. It is not a replacement for your Bible or other Spiritual Teaching book, but it does have the power to help brighten or better some one's day. Many of the quotes I use on this website come from this book.
I'm Already Home...Again: Keeping your family close while on assignment or deployment (2nd ed.) by Elain Gray Dumler. Filled with tips and tricks learned by military families of all service branches. They are organized by "deployment" stages, and many are geared to families with children. There are also poems sprinkled throughout that remind us why we do this. A good, quick, light read.
But books are merely books, and the most precious thing I have found is connecting with other spouses and significant others. Younger, older, "been there, done that" or not - they have all found a way to help keep me going. Like a Band of Sisters, we lean on each other when we need propping up and we "high five" when someone hears from their soldier. We commiserate that we are looking at a year or so of celibacy and we bake cookies together and tell heart-warming stories of our soldiers. (I know, I know, those of you who know me know I don't cook, but I have participated in some joint cookie baking ventures - yes, even me). Some of the ladies I know only through email, but to my delight and sanity, I have also met some motivated and loving women in person. Reach out and touch someone. It's been a little tougher as we don't have a strong FRG system in place, but we are making our way. The Minute Men gathered together before This Great Nation was born, so we are part of a long tradition of women standing behind their Citizen Soldiers. That helps, too.
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