Not just a Two Star Mom.....





I think I may have mentioned that Ron is a Navy Veteran of the Vietnam war era. He served 6 years active and his reserve duty as well. There are some things he talks about - where he's been, (for instance, he was stationed in Pearl Harbor for awhile and since he's been there sees no reason why WE should go to HI as a couple - "been there, done that Susan; I saw it for both of us).

Sigh. :)

But the one thing he doesn't mention often is his Vietnam tour of duty on a destroyer in 1967. They served off shore, took troops in at night, picked them up in the morning. Unfortunately, there were often fewer soldiers in the morning than left the ship the night before. Also supplied assistance to other ships in the area. On a beautiful day in August, 1967, they went to the assistance of another ship which was taking rounds. Only ten minutes earlier, Ron had been down in the fire room talking to a young man who was writing home. In only a few short minutes, Ron's life and the life of everyone on board would change forever as the ship took fire from shore and a man was killed. The man was the young sailor Ron had just spoken to moments earlier. Ron had never told me that part of the story.

The other day, Ron came across some information about the sailor's family and he was able to contact the young man's sister by phone. She is the only surviving member of the family now, but he wanted to tell her that he had been with her brother only moments before his death, and what a great guy he was - such a likeable young man.

Ron spent a few minutes on the phone with her, and then said his goodbyes. When he hung up, he was visibly shaken. I had never known that Ron was so close to being injured or killed during that attack, but as he deals with that reality so many years later...he wonders still, why he was spared? I quietly told him,

"It's simply called, "but for the Grace of God."
I am not just a proud two star mom - I am a Veteran's wife - thankful every single day for the Grace of God.

May the blessing of His Grace and love continue to be with all who serve...no matter where that may be.

Planning Ahead, but living for today.







We've been here in AZ for a couple of weeks now, enjoying sunshine and moderate but not hot temps and doing all my doctor appts for the radiation therapy I will be having on a benign tumor in my right auditory canal. The hearing loss and other symptoms I've been experiencing will not be going away, even after the treatments, but the nerve involving the facial nerves will be spared from being affected by this tumor by having it removed this way. There is a ten percent chance that it will be affected by the radiation itself, but that is a much lower percentage compared to the certainty of a permanent Bells Palsy type of condition if I don't have the procedure done. I am very pleased with the doctors who will be doing this, and we are just waiting now for all the appointments I need for MRIs and the treatments. They should be within the next couple of weeks, which is a huge relief.
Our soldiers, and Kasey, are busy back at home. But they are enjoying being back together in their new home. We have been blessed this past year and are not forgetting that we should take the example they set and live in the present...thinking and remembering the future, but grateful for the time at hand. We will be living with Laurie and Kasey once Stephen is deployed because halfway through his next deployment, the Army has plans for Laurie as well. And we will have guardianship of Kasey once again. We will put the RV into storage and remain at their home which will make it lots better for Kasey.
In the meantime, we continue to enjoy life in our RV - lots of senior citizens here in AZ who have been living as full time RVers for a lot longer than we have. We are meeting people here in our RV park who have come from all over the states to keep warm and we are finding that we have lots in common with many of them. Some have children who are serving or have served; or are veterans of VietNam as Ron is. They have stories as we do, and are thankful - as we are for the everyday things like good health, and the ability to do this traveling thing.
We are watching the remake of All Quiet on The Western Front. Whether on the battlefield in Germany in WW1, or in the sands of Iraq, or the mountains of Afghanistan in present day, war doesn't seem to change - but the faces do.
We are free, and the principle never changes - we want others to be free as well. I pray this never changes.
It's all part of God's plan and I don't question His will. And I know that His bigger plan is peace.
I pray that it will come soon.
God bless our troops and those of us who love them.