A Soldier's Story

Cold and wet. Dark and dirty. This is what I am seeing from the bottom of my foxhole. I can hear the bullets whizzing above my head and the cries of men who have fallen but can’t be attended to. I wonder what home is like. Is the sun setting over another beautiful Carolina day? Has my family already eaten supper and gone to bed? I miss home but I am here for the sake of my country and more importantly for the sake of righteousness. I can endure the meager rations and snow and deafening cannon noises. I will endure another night curled up in this hole with my best friend fighting the seemingly endless tide of enemy soldiers. I believe that God has called us to rid the world of this monster that has taken over all of Europe or almost. We are slowly taking back ground. I landed on the continent amid the hail of machine guns and German curses. I can’t tell you what I felt knowing that someone who has never even met me could hate me so much. I saw so many of my fellow invaders fall right there on the beach and I waded through their blood that turned the sea warm and red. Now, I am here in some country that I had never really heard of fighting off the most threatening enemy thus far, the cold. The snow falls and falls and it is a novelty to me. We don’t get too much of it in my home state. God, however, didn’t mean for the stillness and serene beauty to be marred by blood and ungodly sounds. We are to march into the town in the morning and take it back for the French citizens. The last place was destroyed but the people were so thankful that we had freed them. We gave them tastes of home, chocolate and liquor and kisses from American GIs. That place was full of joy among the ruins. I hope the next place will be so appreciative.

I never dreamed when I was little that I would be here doing this when I “grew up,” but, the greatest things that we can do are those things which require the most sacrifice. When this is over, I don’t want parades and accolades. I just want to go back to the way I was. I know that can never happen. My innocence is gone and so is my belief that people are inherently good. I want to go home and find a woman that I’ll love with all my being and marry her and make a better life for my children. I want the future generations to live life without the shadow of tyranny. For them to cultivate their freedoms and never forget that there are those who gave everything, including their lives so that America and Europe could be free.

I wrote this in 2008 but it is still relevant!  Thank you to all who have served America so that we can be free.  All wars from the Revolution to the current war in Afghanistan, you are not forgotten!

'Fess Up Friday

A day late, a dollar short.  I am a day late to Mamarazzi's party but I know I can still confess.  Frankly, it is my favorite part of the week besides Sunday morning worship and Monday night with my home group. So here's to it!  Have a great weekend!

I confess that I love Veterans.  I will go out of my way even crossing a restaurant to say thanks.  Last week, we met a man who fought in WWII.  He was so cute and funny and fascinating.  He was touched that my husband(who was on crutches) and I would stop and speak to him.  He told us that he used to operate the radio for Radio Free Europe.  He was absolutely amazing!  I took cookies to  the Vets in my neighborhood and a friend.  It is not a lot but a small token of our appreciation.

I confess that I love basketball!  And for me it started last night with the Tarheels playing Michgan St on the US Carl Vincent.  A freaking air craft carrier!  It was amazing!  I could have done without the politicking from the president but what can I say!  We begin the walk towards March Madness!

I confess that I stayed up too late last night.  Netflix was acting crazy and I couldn't get stuff to play without stopping and finally I stopped and read my book.  Before I knew it, it was really late!

I confess that I forgot how great a write Agatha Christie was.  I got a book recently from the library and it is good.

I confess that I am sick of being sick.  I already took an antibiotic.  Got better.  Got sick again!  Yuck!  Must be the little monsters I have around here kissing on me and all.  I take Vitamin C but it doesn't seem to be helping!

This list was a lot of randomness!  Thank God bloggy land is forgiving and can keep up!  What are y'all confessing?  Hop on over and link up!

Thankfulness #2

Our kids' Thanksgiving project

I am so thankful and rightly so.  God has given me so much and I am so blessed.  Here are the things for which I am thankful:

1) My hubby has improved with his knee so much.  Last week, he thought he would never walk again(due to pain).  This week, he is getting along nicely.  Still limping but healing.

2) My hubby took the kids to my in-laws for a couple days to give me a much needed break!  He is going on a guys' weekend. 

3) I am happy with our Thanksgiving project.  I started this last year.  You can see the beginning of the project here .  I just bought a piece of foam poster board.  I traced each child's hand onto colored paper.  Last year, I chose fall colors.  But, I had a hard time telling which hand was whose.  So this year, I let them choose a color of paper and they traced their hands and cut them out and each day of November, they write down things for which they are thankful.  The back of this poster is the poster from last year.  When we are done this year, I am gonna cover it with clear contact paper and keep this to bring out every year.

4)I am thankful that I am done selling those stamps on eBay.  I got everything mailed out and people seem to be happy.  Yea!

5) I have quite possibly the cutest kids ever!  My hubby and I breed well!

6) I have some great friends who understand my struggles and who share theirs with me.  Amazing that we all have similar issues.

7) VETERANS!!!!  I am thankful for their sacrifice of time and blood and in some cases their lives.  I will do the Veteran walk that we do twice a year in our neighborhood tomorrow.  We take a little token of our appreciation to each one in our neighborhood and say thank you!  I want my children to understand what they did for us so that we can enjoy the life that we have today!

Are you thanking God today?  You should be!  He has done more for us than we can ever imagine.  If you are experiencing trial today and God seems so far away, remember that the trials of this life are God's mercies in disguise!