"The Way We Get By"

Over the weekend, I caught an interesting interview of a small elderly group. Since May 2003, these senior citizens have been going to an airport in Bangor, Maine to send off soldiers as they deploy and to welcome them as they return to U.S. soil. Over 900,000 soldiers have been greeted by this dedicated group.

On Veterans Day, November 11th...their story will be aired on PBS. Please visit PBS to check the time it is airing in your local area or better yet, order the video!

As most of you know, I am a volunteer with Operation Welcome Home-Maryland. The true honor of shaking hands with our heroes as they step off the plane, takes my breath away every single time. Soldier after soldier walk by our 'parade route' and it never ceases to amaze me how thankful they are to see us! They thank us! I mean THEY. THANK. US! At one point in the interview, the word 'addiction' was used...and it's true! If it were not for the fact I live an hour and a half from the airport...I would be there to greet every plane which lands with our soldiers returning home! Greeting our troops is something I need to do. I need to let them know they are coming home to a grateful nation. I need our soldiers to feel loved and appreciated. I need to see their smiling faces, and know that they are safely home! How grateful I am, to know there is our core group at OWH greeting the flights of soldiers returning through BWI.

Please look into watching "The Way We Get By" on PBS. The website is filled with excellent ideas on how to make posters, if you have the opportunity to greet our troops. Along the left sidebar are many useful links of ideas how to help our service members through the USO and other wonderful organizations.

If you have a few more moments, please watch the trailer (don't forget to pause my music on the right sidebar!)

13 Faces

On Thursday, November 5, 2009 our nation was stunned and saddend by the horrific mass killing at Fort Hood. Each of these Americans proudly served our country. Please join me in remembering the faces and names of our heroes. Pray for the familes, who now have empty places in their hearts.

Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman (Maryland National Guard)

Pfc. Michael Pearson

Maj. L. Eduardo Caraveo

Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow

Spc. Jason Dean Hunt

Spc. Kham S. Xiong

Major John Gaffaney (Reservist)

Chief Warrant Officer Michael Grant Cahill (Ret.)

Spc. Francheska Velez

Russell Seager (Reservist)

Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelk

Sgt. Amy Krueger

Spc. Frederick Greene

Kids Are Kids... and They Love Candy

HELMAND PROVENCE, Afghanistan (Oct. 29, 2009) Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Eric Nobriga, assigned to Combined Anti-Armor Team 2 (CAAT 2), hands candy to Afghan children during a patrol in Nawa District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment is one of the ground combat elements deployed with Regimental Combat Team 7. (U.S Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. James Purschwitz/Released)

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This photo made me smile today. I packaged up all the leftover Halloween candy (it rained on Halloween night) and shipped it to 'Chief' with a note stating the next box will be filled with toothpaste! I'm rather certain he will share the contents of the box with his flight. I am absolutely certain the children in the area will receive plenty of candy as well! It makes me smile to think of our Soldiers sharing candy with the children in such a faraway land.

Fort Hood

We must continue to pray for the families of the killed at Fort Hood.

We must pray for healing of those injured in this tragedy.

We must never let this happen on U.S. soil again!

Police Raid Fort Hood Suspect's Home as 13th Victim Dies From Injuries - Local News News Articles National News US News - FOXNews.com

Not At Home!

I've spent this afternoon watching the coverage of the shooting at Fort Hood.

My heart hurts.

My Prayers are lifted for the fallen soldiers, who by the Grace of God returned home...only to be shot down in their own backyard.

My Prayers for healing of those who have been injured.

My Prayers go to the families who were enjoying a 'normal' day, only to have their worlds fall apart hearing of a loved one killed or injured on an Army Base.

As a Mom, my level of fear has certainly gone up a notch. This incident happened at Fort Hood... this time. We think as long as our sons are stateside, they are not in harms' way. I've always thought of Military Bases to be a bubble of sorts. Obviously, our world holds no bubbles.

Will this prove to be an act of terror? One man has certainly altered the lives of so many. The fallen, the injured, the families, along with each and every Service Member walking on a "Secure Base". What is secure anymore?

I'm thinking of the soldiers returning home tomorrow at BWI. How many of them will be flying on to Fort Hood, to learn of comrades killed or injured? They believed they were coming home to safety.

My heart hurts.

Military Support From the Big Guys!

Last December I wrote a post titled, "My Hands are Small" The words are borrowed from the song, "Hands" written by Jewel:

My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours,
they are my own
But they're not yours,
they are my own
And I am never broken.


Friday night, I will once again have the great honor of welcoming home our Soldiers at BWI. Being an active volunteer with Operation Welcome Home fills my heart with more and more gratitude of our troops. To shake the hands of the men and women who have spent months overseas, leaves a lump in my throat each time I attend such an event. I make it a point to fill a bag with snacks, to help fill the goodie bags we distribute to each soldier. But as I said...my hands are small. My Garden Center wages, limits me to what I can donate.

And then there are the Big Guys.....

Old Navy helped OWH, by collecting enough food and water to supply nearly 16 planes or 4800 troops! 20 of their local stores participated in this drive and it truly is a tremendous help! It is my hope more Retailers will participate in donating or holding collection drives for our Soldiers.

Applebee's is once again offering FREE FOOD to our Service Members on Veterans Day! What an awesome Thank You!

The Walmart Foundation has donated over $1 million to the National Center on Family Homelessness (NCFH) to support their Community Circles of Support for Veterans’ Families initiative. The objective of this program is to fill the gap in services by improving high-quality emotional health and family support services for veterans and their families through integrated community support programming.

Please pass along national or local companies you know are doing good deeds for our soldiers.

Let's join together and recognize these companies by patronizing their establishments. If they are helping to take care of our Soldiers, they deserve a huge Thank you!

May Almighty God Bless each and every Airman, Soldier, Sailor and Marine.

Prayers for Belle...again

My sweet little grandgirl is going in for more tests on Monday.

She needs our prayers.

Her Mommy and Daddy need our prayers.

The doctors who lay their healing hands on this sweet baby, need our prayers.



Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6