Posted by Pattie on Friday,November11th,2011 in Resources | Comments (0)
image courtesy of Berkeley University library
Today is Veterans Day, which began as Armistice Day on November 11, 1918. It marked the end of The Great War (World War I). Today it is a day we as Americans honor our nation’s military veterans and thank them for their service.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs has a lovely history of the day on their website here.
I thought it fitting to share a famous poem from this era with you. The poppy is still a symbol of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Please be sure to do your monthly breast self-exams and if you find something suspicious, please go to the doctor. For all of you who have Tricare insurance, they cover mammograms and annual exams, and for some cases, MRIs. You can find more about that here.
Are there any other sites you have found helpful or informative? Be sure to link them in the comments. Thanks so much!
I recently had the opportunity to preview the season premiere of ABC’s award-winning hit seriesExtreme Makeover: Home Edition, premiering this Sunday night, September 25 (check your local listings for time).
For those who might not be familiar with this show: Each week Ty Pennington and his team of highly trained and compassionate professionals help make a family’s dream come true. They remodel, they revamp, and sometimes they rebuild from scratch, a home or a space in a home for a family in need. (And it never fails to make me cry!)
For this season’s premiere episode, the EMHE team joins forces with First Lady Michelle Obama and the Joining Forces initiative she shares with Dr. Jill Biden to encourage Americans to give back to military families. First Lady Michelle Obama makes a special appearance on this show, and she and the show are highlighting a former Navy Chaplain, Barbara Marshall, who is fighting to end homelessness among her fellow female veterans. As she says, her goal is “to help women veterans get back in the game of life.” She’s an amazing woman with a hands-on ministry to women veterans who find themselves in need.
From the beginning of the show to the end, the immense support for this project begins with the show’s design team, and expands to include veterans, active duty military personnel and their families, community support–and yes, our First Lady as well.
But wait…there’s more! One segment of the show is hosted by Sears, as a part of their Heroes at Home program, and they held a job expo to help female veterans hone their resumes and identify how their military skills and training would work in the civilian workforce. I sure hope this type of thing will continue nationwide. Now that I am teaching adults, many of whom are either retired or near the end of their military careers, I can see how valuable this assistance truly is.
One overarching theme of this episode was stated by Mrs. Obama herself: service doesn’t end with a tour of duty; it continues on for a lifetime. Barbara Marshall is one of many who saw a need that she could meet, and she met it right where she lived. You, as Wives of Faith, do the same thing every day: in your homes, in your installations and spouse support groups, in your churches and chapels, in your communities. And yes, even online here at Wives of Faith, we support you and encourage you–and even connect you where you live, so you can support each other. That’s what the body of Christ is all about.
Thank you, Wives of Faith, for all you do.
I highly recommend watching this inspiring episode, because I am only giving you a small glimpse into the whole experience. Get ready to laugh at the show’s trademark humor, but be sure to have your tissues handy as well!
To learn more about Barbara Marshall’s ministry at Jubilee House, you can visit their website.
Special thanks to Different Drummer Productions for the opportunity for a “sneak peek” of one of the most positive shows on television today. God bless you!
Call me a geek, but I love modern communication. Email, texts, Facebook messages and other social media apps can make life so much easier in so many ways. Lately, however, I have experienced some of the less than positive consequences of having technology at my fingertips.
When I had to go hunt down an encyclopedia, there were facts that I did not take the time to uncover, questions that I left unanswered. But when the internet is available on my handy dandy little cell phone, I can quickly find more information that my brain can often process. Sometimes this constant onslaught of information sends my brain into overload, one of those less than positive situations.
Due to technology, I now send more people birthday wishes in a week than I normally would have sent in a month. Fifteen years ago, my connection with people who lived out of state would have been limited by my long distance budget, but now it is not unusual for me to exchange text messages with multiple states before lunchtime. There are friends I pray for that I have met through military wife websites that I have never actually met in person. These relationships are ones that I treasure, but my heart finds itself needing something more.
Though not an expert in social media, I think Paul might have some answers for my concerns about modern communication’s impact in my life.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV-1984)
Meeting together. These days, I very possibly know almost as many military wives through the internet as I do in person. However, the internet will never be able to give me a hug, or wipe a tear from my eye. Inherent in my human condition is the need to be connected to each other. So maybe there are times that I need to be less focused on something that carries a bandwidth and start using my arm width to embrace another military wife.
If you are local to the greater Washington, D. C. area, expanding arm width is what we are all about with a new ministry, sponsored by Immanuel Bible Church, called Hearts Apart. We will be gathering for monthly meetings of dinner, encouragement, guest speakers and a time to connect with other military wives. As an added bonus, our first speaker on September 27th will be Sara Horn! If you have always wanted to hear Sara in person and meet her, this is your opportunity. We also plan to be practicing some of that arm width stuff! If you would like to join us, check out link below for more information and free registration.
If you are not local to D.C., may I encourage you today? Put away the social media for a little while and find another woman with whom you can share some arm width today. It will bless you – and her- in ways bandwidth never can.
Whether your summer has been stormy, dry with record breaking heat or July doesn’t mean summer in your neck of the woods, I hope that each of you enjoyed celebrating our freedom on Independence Day. Here is another batch of blog spotlights to give you an excuse to stay in the a/c!
“It’s Thursday and time to share what I’m thankful for. Over the last few weeks I was given two very kind surprise gifts….I’m thankful for all of the kind people in my life and for all of the little unexpected surprises that make life fun!!”
If couponing is your thing be sure to check out Lipstick, Uniforms and Bare Feet. This military wife shares great coupon deals and other tips for your household.
“I just recently join[ed] a site called Recycle Bank and I wanted to let everyone know about it. Going green is easier than I thought and this site encourages you and gives you points to win coupons and other free items.”
As we know too well, staying connected with our husbands while they are deployed is hard. And that’s putting it lightly. Packed with family pictures and experiences of a lifetime this mom-of-three uses her blog, Organized Chaos, to stay in touch. Her most recent accomplishment was completing a Triathlon.
“Sunday I completed the triathlon. Sunday was about so much more than a race. It was about more than crossing a finish line. It represented a journey. It was symbolic of hurdles overcome. It provided a sense of completion.” Read the rest here.
As always, be sure to let these ladies know that you stopped by for a visit with an encouraging comment.
