I know you've probably seen this, but just in case you haven't - it is a must see. Amazing that a girl of 15 has the insight to put together a piece as heart-wrenching as this. And if after viewing it you want to do something, go to THIS SITE and chose a soldier. Send them a card, letter, anything to encourage them. Please.
Got this today from a friend - glad I bought extra cards this year and my 7yo and 4yo are going to make homemade ones, too....
I'm sure many of you are currently writing cards to friends and family. If you can, please send an extra one (or 10, or 20) to our American military heroes who are recuperating from wounds this Christmas Season. Please enclose a short note thanking them for their service and personal sacrifice. They are the protectors of our freedom, we must let them know. Your small act of kindness will be greatly appreciated. Here's the address...
A Recovering American Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20307-5001
One day a year we honor our veterans. Really we should honor and thank them every day for it is every day that we enjoy the freedoms that they fight/fought so very hard for, for which they left loved ones and home behind, for which they laid their lives on the line, for which they endured days in cold winds or hot desert sun, nights without sleep, weeks without being able to wrap their arms around their wife or daughter or son or father or mother or anyone who would even vaguely know them for being more than just a soldier. Every day is in essence "veteran's day" for it is every day that they willingly choose to be a soldier so that we can go about our lives without having to think about the possibility of not having these freedoms. My father was a WWII veteran and like so many spent years after the war without even talking about his experiences. My cousins and older friends were Vietnam vets and suffered great scars for many years after they had returned home. May GOD bless each and every soldier who has ever enlisted or been drafted or has wanted to enlist but been turned away for medical reasons. May GOD bless our country. May we honor those who preserve it by showing in some small way that we do remember...and appreciate....and cherish..... them all..
Recently in our state, one of the most homeschool-friendly states in the US, a letter was drafted to ask homeschoolers to bring much documentation and all of their little ones to a POLICE STATION to meet with a state employee of the department that oversees all non-Public schools. "WHOOOAAAHHH" we all screamed - where in the world did this come from??!! Well, ladies and gentlemen, many, many, many of us who so often take homeschooling (and many other freedoms) for granted will soon have a rude awakening if we do not GO TO THE POLLS TO VOTE ON NOV. 7th! The state department responsible for overseeing homeschoolers is VERY sensitive to press and the press follows elected representatives like flies on garbage. Anyway, WHO those representatives are and WHAT they do is going to be determined by HOW MANY of us bother to go to the polls in an off-year election. Time and again the course of many pieces of legislation has swung to or fro based solely on the balance of power voted in (or out) in an off year. Don't miss out on this one. It will greatly affect us for many, many years no matter what state or county you live in. Please go vote - for more on why go to this link.
Will you take a minute today to pray for our military? Include
those who make decisions, those in training, those at home and all
those deployed overseas, many of whom have been away from family for a
long time. Pray for the spouses, that their marriages will remain
strong and the one left here will be able to carry all the burdens,
that the children will grow up Godly and strong and proud, and that
those who are wounded physically and emotionally will feel loved and
encouraged. May we always remember those who sacrifice so much!
OK, most of you probably don't remember the "folk song" days of the 60s
and this popular tune, .... but we are going 500 miles and more (much
more!!) this week to visit our West Point no-longer-plebe cadet!!
We will take him out to celebrate surviving his first year and
graduating to a "Yuk". I'll be in touch and will post pics and
comments when we return... Till then, keep our safety in your
prayers. -F
IRAQI FORCES TAKING STRIDES TO REPLACE COALITION TROOPS The new Iraqi forces can only succeed if the Iraqi political process succeeds
Intercede
for President Bush as Commander-in- Chief, the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
foreign policy advisers, and all U.S. and coalition military
commanders, troops and support staff in the Middle East.
Lift
up prayers for those serving in the military, as they carry out their
duties as “bearers of the sword.” (Romans 13:4) Continue to keep them
in your prayers as they willingly place themselves in harm’s way.
Pray that followers of Jesus of Nazareth in the U.S. Military and
coalition Forces would be free to encourage each other and express
their faith as the Lord would lead. Ask the Lord to strengthen them as
they may struggle to find the Lord daily in the middle of war and
destruction.
Ask the Lord to bless the efforts and protect the
medics, chaplains and all support personnel who also put their lives at
risk; to protect the newly elected leaders and their families from
assassination.
Lift up the new Iraqi government to the Lord.
Ask Him to bring unity to all political and religious factions, to
enable the country to be blessed with good government and free
expression of faith.
(UPI,
2/17/06) In spite of the problems facing Iraqi forces, they are making
major progress that should provide a new degree of legitimacy and
popularity to the Iraqi government and allow the Coalition to reduce
its forces. Changes in the U.S.-led Coalition advisory effort have led
to steadily higher selection and training standards and better
equipment and facilities. Embedding U.S. training teams in each new
Iraqi unit, and pairing them with U.S. combat units until they could
operate on their own, has made a major qualitative difference in the
field. More and more Iraqi units have come on-line.
There
are, however, still many problems in Iraqi force development,
particularly in the security forces in the Ministry of the Interior and
in the police forces. Outside aid will still be needed for some years.
Equally important, political and military successes are interdependent.
The new Iraqi forces can only succeed if the Iraqi political process
succeeds. Political success requires security.
If
a government does not emerge that cannot include a large number of
Sunnis, and undercuts popular and political support for the insurgency,
the efforts to develop Iraqi forces may be in vain.
(VOA) At
this moment, more than thirty-five Iraqi battalions have assumed
control of their own areas of responsibility -- including nearly half
of the Baghdad province.
In 2006, more areas will become the
responsibility of Iraqi security forces. The goal, says President Bush,
is "having the Iraqis in control of more territory than the coalition
by the end of 2006."
The cadets at WP love to joke about "what's the difference between WP
and prison"? One of the favorites "In prison they get to watch
tv"... You get the gist!!
Anyway, with the recent blizzard, here's a couple of pics to remind us
of another favorite ("In prison they don't have to march when it's 14
degrees and snowing outside")! Some parents will tell you that at
West Point, complaining is a varsity sport that almost all cadets
"letter" in!! As a Mom watching her son in the cold and heat, I
can see why!!
BBBBRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! Hang in there cadets!!
Praise that things went well for our Cadet this week. A lot of
difficulties have been resolved, thanks so much for the prayers!
Now a request - please pray for our Cadet's friend who is stationed
just outside Kandahar, Afghanistan with a special task force. He
is a Godly young man and he is asking for prayers for a fellow soldier
in his team who is not a believer. May we join together today in prayer
for these young men. Thanks!
This time of year is described as the "gloom period" at West Point. One cadet (not mine) said "You DON'T
know anything about gloom period .. Not until you've worn gray clothes,
eaten gray food, walked out of a gray building under gray skies to go into
another gray building to study from gray textbooks with other cadets dressed
in gray clothes, who have eaten gray food, walked out of gray buildings
under gray skies to go into other gray buildings to study from gray
textbooks with other cadets dressed in gray clothes, etc., etc.,
etc.". Winds usually are 20-50mph off the Hudson, snow/rain mixes
are very common, etc. and duties, classes, PT training, etc. all go on
with only about 5 hrs sleep a night. "Gloom period" lasts from
January to May!!! So right now we're trying to come up with new
ideas to send "funny" things to our cadet - some Moms have suggested
litle army men with parachutes, playdough (yes, it brings the kid out
in ALL of us!!), etc. Any ideas for something easy to mail to
brighten the day??.
Our local Homeschool National Honor Society group is collecting items to send to soldiers through anysoldier.com.
So for the past two weeks my 7yo has been furiously making valentines
to put in the packages (which will be received by them weeks after
Valentine's but I didn't have the heart to discourage her because this
was what she so wanted to do.) Here's a photo of ONE of the more
than 20 she's made so far. (Can
you tell she's studying "silent e's"?!) She spends at least 30-45
minutes on each one and it really touches me that she's so dedicated to
this task. My 17yo is writing notes and letters, too. My
3yo is helping me shop for and pack popcorn, crackers and packs of
kool-aid. Most of all we're sending our prayers to each one that
receives anything from us...
I
grew up with a Dad fanatical about football. That's why I married
my hubby. He's watched maybe 5? football games in all 26 years of
marriage (even though he played in High School and would have in
college except for blowing out his knees)! Anyway, I never knew
what all the Army/Navy "hoopla" was about, just that we watched that
game along with every other college and pro football game for what
seemed like 13 months of the year every year until I left for
college. BUT this year is different. Funny how
having your own child involved with something, even in a spectator-only
way, brings it home to you. So here I am, finally realizing that
Army/Navy games are between the two military academies (Duh, but I just
didn't know that until a few years ago!!) and that it is LOTS of fun
for these young men who have and do put their whole selves into the
service of their country at a very young age, under tremendous pressure
24/7. Read about "hand grenades" of shaving cream or
"Prizoner exchange" on midfield, or missing monuments or mascots and
you'll get a sense of the fun antics each of the schools enjoy.
So this year I have become an Army fan. GO ARMY! BEAT
NAVY! (Saturday's game is on CBS at 2:30 if you want to watch
with us!!)
So excited! Go to Cynthia Robin's blog
and add your son/daughter's name if they are in the military, or stop
by and say a prayer for those on her list. Thanks to "Sgt Mama"
at The Home Front for stopping by here and linking to Cynthia! We'll all join in prayer for these young people! Philippians 1:3I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.
Well, I have no camera (long story, long line, first concert in 25
years for dh and I, confiscated cameras at end of long line, gone to
never-never land) so I took some pics this a.m. of my 3 youngest at the
Veteran's Day parade which I will post after I finish the film in the
disposable, take it into town, go back later and get it from town, moan
and groan from disappointing results, then finally post it here... So
maybe next Vet's Day you can see them!! Anyway, it was SOOOOO
worth dragging my body (I mean everybody) out of bed this a.m., and
driving into downtown Raleigh. My Dad was a WWII vet and I am
very ashamed and regretful to say I never went to a Vet Day Parade
while he was living. He talked little of his expereinces and
never was in a parade himself (our small hometown where he lived never
had one), but what an honor it was today to cheer for veterans of our
country of all ages, races, disabilites, backgrounds. We truly
live a very blessed country. And after today my children know WHY
we went to the parade. They know why we celebrate Veteran's
Day. And they know sacrifice firsthand because 6yo said as we
returned home "I wish Russell (her brother the West Point cadet) had
been here to go with us. I really miss him." I miss you,
too, Dad. Thanks to both of you and all the multitude of others
who are and have served our country so well. May we always
cherish and honor them.
Well,
here we are home!! We had a great time in New York, especially
since we got to see our Cadet!! Friday's trip up was wet but very
smooth, with us arriving just after 2pm when we got to see Russ walking
smartly across the flooded parking lot while it rained "cats and dogs"
(see MySmokyMtnHomeschool
entry on "Why do we say that?"!) We ate some fantastic Italian
food Friday night, got caught up with Russ and then returned him to
barracks before he turned into a pumpkin at 1am! Saturday
morning's "review" (cadets doing marching formations on "The Plain")
was washed out so
as soon as we got up with Russ (who had morning duties) we walked in
the mist to overlook the Hudson (which was flooded)
then met one of Russ' professors and saw where most of his classes take
place. [Russ won an award for the best website design in his
class and his professor made sure we were aware of how proud we should
be - of course we are proud of everything he's done, and most of all
for his Godly and humble manner!!] We then walked over under a
clearing-and-promising-to-be-blue sky to Grant Hall for lunch where we
all enjoyed the large portraits of famous West Point grads and the
unique decor. After lunch we went to a briefing by his company
TAC and then got to see his barracks room (the only time the public is
allowed to see their rooms in all four years they are there) and met
his new roommate (2 roommates from "Beast" and one roommate for
the fall have all left - this one moved in 2 weeks ago after HIS
roommate quit - it's a tough place!). We caught the last
part of the organ concert in the Cadet Chapel and then went back to the hotel to change into our "fancy duds" for the formal banquet and "hop".
What a great time for all!! Sunday we relaxed (aka "recouperated"for
us old folks!) and just enjoyed hanging out with Russ, playing
Scrabble, and eating lots! Monday morning we dropped Dad at the
airport, checked out, had a birthday lunch for Katy,
and spent the afternoon at Bear Mtn State Park - absolutely beautiful
lake, hinting at orange and yellow mountains, sunny and breezy. A
most perfect day for climbing rocks, walking around the lake, watching
kites and dirtboarders, collecting leaves and acorns, and spending time
with our favorite cadet! Monday evening we had to take him back
and hit the road. Tuesday we finished the trip (15 hours to make
it back, 10 hours up) with terrible traffic due to road and tunnel
closings due to a terrorist alert. But all (including 3yo)
traveled very well, and safely, so thanks for all the prayers! DH
and I are off to Atlanta Saturday for a company function - I guess my
October is just gonna be on the road! Looking forward to getting
back to school and a routine next week even though it's been a wonderful, relaxing, beautiful fall break..... Talk to ya'll again soon. -Faye
Well, Friday morning before the rooster even starts to think about crowing, we will be headed to New York to see Russ! JoJo wrote a little about it in her Oct. 10th blog (CHINESEWANNABE)
if you REALLY want to know what PPW or a Plebe or USMA really is! I'll
post some pics when we get home the middle of next week. In the
meantime, keep us all in your prayers (Dad has to fly back Monday a.m.
due to work so I'll be driving all 6 remaining of us home on Tuesday
and Wednesday). Ethan (3yo) is NOT a good traveler - he can't
bounce or jump or climb
in a car seat and resists it terribly, so pray he will somehow be
satisfied on a 12-hour trip (and that I will have the patience and
alertness to keep safe.) See ya'll later (I'll bring back some fresh, yummy bagels but somebody have me some SWEET TEA ready!)
Family with children ages 4 to 25 who feebly seek to grow upward, closer to our Lord and Savior through daily life, school days and trying to understand and obey God's Word.
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- for more on why go to
the day??.
I
grew up with a Dad fanatical about football. That's why I married
my hubby. He's watched maybe 5? football games in all 26 years of
marriage (even though he played in High School and would have in
college except for blowing out his knees)! Anyway, I never knew
what all the Army/Navy "hoopla" was about, just that we watched that
game along with every other college and pro football game for what
seemed like 13 months of the year every year until I left for
college. BUT this year is different. Funny how
having your own child involved with something, even in a spectator-only
way, brings it home to you. So here I am, finally realizing that
Army/Navy games are between the two military academies (Duh, but I just
didn't know that until a few years ago!!) and that it is LOTS of fun
for these young men who have and do put their whole selves into the
service of their country at a very young age, under tremendous pressure
24/7. Read about "hand grenades" of shaving cream or
"Prizoner exchange" on midfield, or missing monuments or mascots and
you'll get a sense of the fun antics each of the schools enjoy.
So this year I have become an Army fan. GO ARMY! BEAT
NAVY! (Saturday's game is on CBS at 2:30 if you want to watch
with us!!)
then met one of Russ' professors and saw where most of his classes take
place. [Russ won an award for the best website design in his
class and his professor made sure we were aware of how proud we should
be - of course we are proud of everything he's done, and most of all
for his Godly and humble manner!!] We then walked over under a
clearing-and-promising-to-be-blue sky to Grant Hall for lunch where we
all enjoyed the large portraits of famous West Point grads and the
unique decor. After lunch we went to a briefing by his company
TAC and then got to see his barracks room (the only time the public is
allowed to see their rooms in all four years they are there) and met
his new roommate (2 roommates from "Beast" and one roommate for
the fall have all left - this one moved in 2 weeks ago after HIS
roommate quit - it's a tough place!). We caught the last
part of the organ concert
in the Cadet Chapel and then went back to the hotel to change into our "fancy duds" for the formal banquet and "hop". 
for
us old folks!) and just enjoyed hanging out with Russ, playing
Scrabble, and eating lots! Monday morning we dropped Dad at the
airport, checked out, had a birthday lunch for Katy
,
and spent the afternoon at Bear Mtn State Park - absolutely beautiful
lake, hinting at orange and yellow mountains, sunny and breezy. A
most perfect day for climbing rocks, walking around the lake, watching
kites and dirtboarders, collecting leaves and acorns, and spending time
with our favorite cadet! Monday evening we had to take him back
and hit the road. Tuesday we finished the trip (15 hours to make
it back, 10 hours up) with terrible traffic due to road and tunnel
closings due to a terrorist alert. But all (including 3yo)
traveled very well, and safely, so thanks for all the prayers! DH
and I are off to Atlanta Saturday for a company function - I guess my
October is just gonna be on the road! Looking forward to getting
back to school 
and a routine next week even though it's been a wonderful, relaxing, beautiful fall break..... Talk to ya'll again soon.
in a car seat and resists it terribly, so pray he will somehow be
satisfied on a 12-hour trip (and that I will have the patience and
alertness
