Prayers for all at Fort Hood.


Many, many prayers go out for the victims of yesterday's shooting at Fort Hood. May their families be comforted by our Father's care and love. And may they know that they are not alone as they worry about those loved ones who were injured, or as they grieve for those lost.
We are all grieving.
And praying.

Seems Like Yesterday.



Tonight we are in a peaceful campground in Kentucky....less than 100 miles from a place we visited often - Fort Knox. Laurie was stationed there for 3 years and we made the trip between Hamburg and Fort Knox more times than we could count. Yesterday and today, as we drove through Ohio, many memories of those drives came flooding back - they always do, don't they?
As we passed countless exits, there were many memories down those ramps. The town where Laurie always stopped for the night when she was driving home; the exit we took one cold December 23rd as we drove Laurie home for Christmas....in a snow storm that could not be believed. I remember to this day, the coziness of the motel room, the safety and peace Ron and Laurie and I felt being off the highway and warm and dry; of being able to tuck Laurie in and crawl into bed next to Ron...exhausted, but happy to be where we were - all together.
And there was the time when I drove by myself to visit her after she had been in an accident. A mom thing, you know? But we had a good time - and when I left to drive back home, I was so grateful for those days we'd had as mom and daughter.
This afternoon, as we crossed one of my favorite bridges which led from Cincinatti into Kentucky, I saw the sign I'd read tons of times...WELCOME TO KENTUCKY! It was always the second best part of the trip...the best of course when we pulled up to her barracks and saw her running down the stairs to greet us, or the smile on her face when she opened the door to her room and saw us.
Tomorrow, as we complete our trip to my sister's in TN, we'll go through some of the towns where Laurie would lead us to her favorite places for dinner - O'Charleys being one of them. Of course we will be in a hurry to get to our destination so no stopping at O'Charleys for lunch, but that won't stop the memories from coming back. Mmmmm...those fresh rolls, still warm from the oven and basted with honey butter.
Life is good - and memories sure help to make it so. Tomorrow when we go through Louisville, I will remember the night in 2002 when we took Laurie to pick up her new boyfriend from the airport. We were all there for the wedding of a friend of Laurie's and it would be the first time we would meet this new young man Laurie seemed quite smitten with. His name was Stephen. Laurie glowed all over as we walked through the airport with him, and I knew this was the man she would marry - and told her very quietly at the baggage claim that I thought I had just met my future son in law. We both cried a bit....and only 3 months later, he proposed to her.
See - does a mom know, or what? Sometimes, YES, we do. Isn't that cool?
The memories and the blessings keep flooding back - as though it was yesterday.
Thank you, Lord. For those days and all the days since.
God bless our troops, and those who wait.

Reconnecting.

We've been here in Western NY for a week now - visiting with family and friends...squeezing in as many visits as we can before we leave next week. How good it is to see the autumn colors here in WNY. Sure, we saw them along the way too, but they somehow can't compare to autumn colors on the trees that line the streets of your hometown. Last week Monday, after we got settled at the campground, we headed over to Scott's place. He had just walked Veronica home from school and she was having some pudding in the kitchen. Quietly, Ron walked to the kitchen doorway and stood there as she was intent on eating her pudding. Scott said, "Binker, look who's here," and she looked up. When she saw Ron, she whispered, "Papa!" and by the time she was halfway across the room she was crying and laughing at the same time. She leapt into Ron's arms to hug him and then she saw me and tried to hug us both at the same time. Hard for her chubby little 5 year old arms, but she did a very good job of it. It was a moment to cherish and there wasn't a dry eye to be found. Scott looks awesome - he got his hair cut recently for Locks for Love - it had been really loooong - trust me on that...but he looks great and is happy he had it done. A smile on his face often now, he is making good choices and some really nice changes which will make life easier - and more affordable - for him. He doesn't have a whole lot of extra cash, but is getting better at managing his budget. This will make leaving next week a little bit easier on this mom's heart and mind.

We've been making some great improvements to the RV as well...putting in a small electric fireplace and a catalytic heater, both of which will help us keep the RV warm at a lower cost. The furnaces which come with RVs generally operate on propane and are vented outside. This means that half the heat escapes through the outside vent and is using a lot of propane. So we have two other means of heating the trailer now which will cost less and will more than pay for the investment within the first year. Since we will be in Arizona during the winter, we'll need to use the heat then too. So Ron has done an awesome job improving our coziness factor. The nights and early mornings can get downright cold at this time of year. We'll continue to use the furnace for heating the bathroom in the morning or at night when we shower - it makes the bathroom like a sauna. This I can handle. :)

I'm a sweatshirt or flannel shirt girl, actually. I like to be cozy. As soon as the temps go below 55, that's cold enough for a sweatshirt or one of Ron's flannel shirts. How funny it is that he has three bags of flannel shirts waiting to go in the closet - and I already know my favorites - the ones I love to put on over a turtleneck. Those will hang all the way over to the left of Ron's shirts; right next to where my winter clothes start. I figure someone should wear them 'cause he can't possibly use them all.

Old friends, new friends - people who have blessed my life for various periods of time...seeing so many of them all this last week has been such a blessing.
And I continue to be amazed at the people who enter my life via the wonder of internet. Today I got an email from an old friend - (not old in the literal sense) -he used to date my sister in high school. It was great to hear from you again, Bruce...keep in touch, ok? Funny how people re-connect isn't it? You log into classmates.com and find so many people who played an important part of your life when you were young. Kids you saw every day - with whom you used to walk the halls of high school between classes when you were supposed to be hurrying to the next class; carrying on conversations which caused you to slide into your seat just as the bell rang. Good times, not always easy, but a time when it was easier to be a teenager than it is now. The world was still outside the high school doors, and we went back out into it at the close of each day, but somehow it didn't offer the temptations that teens deal with today...maybe they were there, but we didn't know about them. Or knew, but weren't tempted by them. Or were tempted, but didn't give in. Kind of complicated, huh?

One last thing that I thought would be the most difficult part of our trip back home...seeing the house that was our home for 29 years. The lady has made some pretty significant changes - at least on the outside, but it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Somehow, I think this is because the years we had there with the kids - including our grandkids - were so happy. It doesn't bother me to see the changes because the memories of our time there are still so fresh. I wish the new owner many years of blessing in the house which is now her home.

God has been gracious to us - and to our family. So much ahead...and so many blessings we have to be grateful for - including all of you.

May He bless our troops - and those who wait.

Wonderful Friends, and A Great Place on a Great Lake.

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted here. We've been on the road since September 16th - have seen some of the most beautiful areas of our country. It's been a great trip so far - and thankfully, we will be in Buffalo by Monday.

The last couple of days we have been in Milwaukee visiting good friends. Nancy, her husband Jim, their great kids and grandkids, and our friend Wendy as well. Nancy and Wendy and I have been friends for a long time - all of us being Military Moms...Nancy is a veteran's mom now but the connection remains. We are three moms who met in our military moms chat room, and will always be friends. We see each other infrequently, but our friendship is steadfast. And every time we do get together, as my friend Wendy said today, it's like we pick up where we left off. And that's a very good thing.

And so, Nancy gave us a tour of Milwaukee today - and a great tour it was. We saw the beautiful old buildings downtown, the waterfront which could teach many major cities a lot about how to build up one of their greatest assets - Lake Michigan.

Tonight, we prepare to leave this city - packing up again and putting breakables in their travel mode - wrapped in dish towels and ready to sit in the kitchen sink for a few hours while they bump along on the highway. We'll head out soon after rush hour traffic has thinned out a bit, and travel another day as we head closer to home....well, what we always will consider our home..until we are done traveling and are in an apartment somewhere.

My friend Nancy always tells us Milwaukee is a great place on a great lake. I agree - but it's people like her and Jim, and my other friend Wendy who make it so.

Military moms have a kinship - we have been brought together by our children's service, and blessed by God to be friends forever. I have so many friends - GOOD friends - with whom I share this bond. Some are moms of soldiers, others spouses, even widows of soldiers who sacrificed all they had to give.

I cherish you all.

Blessings my friends.

On This Day.....

We all have a story, don't we?

On this day 8 years ago, I sat at my desk in the University at Buffalo Financial Aid Office, processing financial aid documents for students who had filed them late. We were already into the fall semester, and the busy-ness of the summer semester (always our busiest time) was behind us. I looked outside at a glorious day - blue skies, warm temperatures and a soft breeze came through the open window next to me. All of a sudden, my friend came back from the front of the office and announced that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and I immediately called Ron who was at home watching CNN and FOX News as he still does in the morning. We put the TV on in the conference room and all of us took turns watching it. I knew that Laurie was not at her duty station at Fort Knox, but rather at another post across the country for some training. Someone had a radio which was always on during the day - not loud enough most days for anyone else to hear, but suddenly, on that same (normally quiet) radio, we all could hear the terrible news as it unfolded. It was unthinkable to know what was happening and when the Pentagon was hit, it became very personal to me since Laurie had met many soldiers from the Pentagon at an NCO training course only weeks earlier. My mind immediately envisioned the graduation program and the names of the soldiers and their home bases. I can still see 'Pentagon' listed so many times.

My fear then was, 'what was Laurie hearing so far from home?' And was Scott listening at his new apartment, or watching this on TV? My prayer was that my children were not afraid - not as afraid as their mom was at that moment.

We heard that students were crowded around the TVs in the Student Union - so many of our student population were from NYC and their thoughts must have been so far away from classwork. At 1 pm, Governor Pataki announced the closing of UB for the day and we all went home to watch the morning's terrible events on TV.

Laurie called bot Ron and I when she was able to, knowing that we would be worried about what was going on where she was. She couldn't talk long but we at least heard her voice....and Scott's shortly after hers.

Laurie said that they had been given updates all morning long and that although they were supposed to leave the next morning, with the airlines not operating it would be several days before she could go "home." Scott was frightened beyond words and eventually he realized that his greatest fear was because he knew his sister no longer served in a time of peace.
I think my most lasting vision of that day was the dust and destruction surrounding those buildings...and the empty fire and rescue trucks buried in that rubble...of wondering where the occupants of those trucks had gone; of the surviving firemen sitting on the curbs in total shock.

It's all personal - yet shared by us all - what the events of that day mean to us.

May God be with the families of those lost that day...and protect those who still work to keep it from happening again - from the President, to our military, the fire and police men and women, right down to each American citizen.

May He bless us all.

Looking Back - and Ahead.

It's been a little over 3 years since I sat down at my computer and began this blog. It's been a journey of ups and downs, but all of the twists and turns, and each one of the steps along the path have been blessed by God. Stephen has returned from the sand, Laurie is in the top third of her class, and we have had a wonderful 10 month adventure with a little boy named Kasey.

Being a Two Star Mom is very important to me. But we have Scott back home in Buffalo, and his little 5 year old daughter - our granddaughter Veronica. We affectionately call her Binker - although I have no idea how our family came up with that nickname. And then there is Luke - our 12 year old grandson - our former daughter in law's son by her first husband and whose picture will be added to the ones above when we have a new one of him. Seven years ago when Scott and Tina married he became our grandson (actually we loved him from the moment we met him)- and he always will be. Divorce changes things, but not our love for the children involved in our lives. Things haven't been easy for Scott recently, but are looking up now and it's really going to be nice to spend some time with him as he makes his own plans and to let him know that we believe in him just as we believe in what Laurie and Stephen do.

In my very first post in July of 2006, I said, 'It’s not just about the soldiers, but about the soldier’s sibling - your son, and the things going on in his life.'
True to that statement, next week we will leave this beautiful state and travel back to Buffalo to see Scott, and Veronica, and Luke. We have been blessed by God's grace and He has given us good health and modest means - enough to travel where we like across this great country and still be able to travel back "home" (far apart but two states are home to us now) to see our children and grandchildren as often as we like. When parents have two children (actually, three counting Stephen), they want to be involved in all of their lives. And yet, we know when to bow out for awhile. Stephen and Kasey are fine here - a happy little boy who adores his daddy...and a daddy who is content in all of that, and proud of his wife who is working so hard to achieve a goal not easily reached. I am not looking forward to leaving our boys for 3 months, but we are getting excited at the thought of seeing Scott and the kids. Once a mom and grandma, always a mom and grandma. It will be good to see our friends, to sit in my favorite pew at church with my good friend Betty, to worship with my Christian family, and listen to our Pastor's awesome sermons. Not to mention that to travel with Ron is always a unique experience in itself - we do love our road trips. I am so thankful for his sense of humor. We are both working on patience. :)

Lily has finally become a contented doggie. She knows this is home, I think. Of course she will be wondering what gives next week when we take our "show" on the road again. Sometimes we look at her and you can almost see it in her eyes or read it in the way she cocks her ears...."why did you people leave a perfectly good house with a deck with warm sunbeams shining on it (perfect for naps), and lots of room to play?" Other times I think if she could talk she would just say, "are you kidding me???" She hears me say that all the time. :)

And tomorrow is my last session with my physical therapist - my physical therapist's husband just left for his deployment. She is kind of young, but not a stranger to deployment as this is the third time they have experienced it.

About 18 months ago, when we knew Stephen's deployment was imminent, we were visiting Laurie and Stephen and Kasey when they were on temporary duty away from here. As always, they made the best of it.

One day while we were there, Laurie had to go over on post to the PX and I wandered into one of the little boutiques outside the main PX and came across some military pins. One in particular caught my eye - it was a typical yellow ribbon pin, but with a charm of the Army star attached. I bought it and wore it nearly every single day when Stephen was deployed. It didn't matter if I was dressed up, or dressed down. The pin went on and I wore it over my heart, along with my two star pin. It now lies on the table here next to me and I figure I have a few good choices as to what to do with the pin: I could put it in my keepsake box as a momento of this time in our lives when God blessed us so by bringing Stephen home safely. Perhaps I could continue wearing it in support of our still deployed troops.

Or I could give it to my physical therapist - to let her know that she isn't alone, and that this mom of two soldiers cares about her soldier and appreciates his sacrifices and hers as well. And that is what I will do tomorrow. I can leave a bit of who I am behind me. I will probably never see this young woman again, but I will think of her often, and her husband too.

And so, as life does, we move forward - never forgetting to look back at the blessings and to be thankful for the present.

God is so good.

May He bless you.

Taking Chance

Sunday afternoon, we walked into a video store to rent some movies. As Ron filled out the paperwork for a membership card, I began perusing the movies. It's been quite some time since we've rented movies and I was happy to see there were many new titles to chose from. When I came upon 'Taking Chance,'
I took it off the shelf and read the back of the box. It wouldn't be an easy movie to watch but I handed it to Ron as he joined me.
If you aren't familiar with the title, it's about a Marine officer who volunteers to accompany the body of a young marine who was killed in Iraq as he is returned home for his burial. The movie is riveting, and very emotional. Ron and I sat and watched it, and more often than not, tears streamed down our faces.
It is a movie which celebrates the spirit of Americans - their respect and admiration not only for a young marine, but for the officer who accompanied him on his final journey home.
Ron said he had wanted to see it but wanted to wait until Stephen was safely home. Still without giving anything away, the movie brought back the time in our lives when Stephen returned home from another deployment....9 days prior to the death of this young man in the province previously occupied by Stephen's unit. I remember how the violence picked up in the days following Stephen's return...and the prayers, both for Stephen's safe return and for those young Marines who had taken over.
As I mentioned, it is not an easy movie to watch - but because it is a true story the difficulty becomes a blessing as the viewer witnesses the respect and reverence given to the young Marine on his way home...and to the man who goes with him.
And it also brings home the memory of my friend Wendy's son who accompanied the body of his best friend home from Iraq 15 months ago. No, being a military mom isn't always easy - but it is a amazing to see the devotion and loyalty our children have toward their comrades. The heartache becomes a blessing as we see the values instilled in these men and women despite the personal cost.
My friend Nancy says this movie should be required viewing for all military families. Its' message is carried throughout the movie...and continues to hit home long after the DVD player is turned off. She also has a personal friend who has just been assigned as Chaplain at Dover AF base where returning heroes go after they have paid the ultimate price for freedom and before their final journey home. Please pray for Chaplain Sorensen as he assumes his new post and for all the heroes he receives...and the families who wait for them to return home one last time.
May God be with all who work at Dover Air Force base - who do their jobs daily not with obligation, but as a labor of love. And may He bless all those who bring our heroes to their final resting place, and the families they bring them to.
God bless our troops, and those who wait.