A Glimpse of the Past......in the present......

The army life was one I thought I had seen the last of......until afforded a glimpse of my past in the present. When Aaron was enlisted in the military we lived a life unlike most everyone else....well except for those living the same life. We embraced the army life but what we discovered would far surpass all of our expectations.
The army life is shared by a community of others that are much like and much different than you and your family. It is a community of people that all come from different worlds....different values.....different beliefs and religions and traditions......different tricks and trades......different towns and cities and states and sometimes even different countries.....a HUGE melting pot of different and somehow in all of that different we find a common ground......the army. Our situations, while all very different, laid the ground work for what would become known as our lives. Somehow....while all so far away from everything that seemed familiar.....we became not just "friends" but we became FAMILY. I know it seems like that is a term that you just call someone you grew very close to but we didn't just grow close. We all learned to lean on one another for everything. Our lives became their lives and their lives became ours.....our children became theirs and their children became ours. Instilled in each of us was a primal instinct to not only love but to also protect one another. In those moments....in that simplicity.....that need to survive a bad situation where we had to move and start over AGAIN.....bonds were formed.......not just that but.......families were formed. Outsiders can't understand it......though, Lord only knows, they do try. The dependancy that comes with this family is VERY real......it is a relationship that starts on the basis of friendship and the distint ability to survive and blossoms into my family.
I thought this was a life I left behind when Aaron was medically discharged from the military. It was a thought or a memory that I would recall now and then over the last several years but not one I spent much time reflecting on because I figured that part of my life was over......gone.....in the past. Recently I had the opportunity to reconnect with my family and it was the first time I had seen them in about the last seven years or so and it was ABSOLUTELY amazing. We were all able to pick up exactly where we left off......it was as if time has stood still. Until today I had forgotten both how much I missed and needed my family. I am so blessed and so grateful to have been afforded this opportunity.

The Best Quote Posters - 1 to 10

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow,
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Edgar A. Guest

"It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal." -Hellen Keller

Sometimes it is so easy to get wrapped in the pettiness of a thing....so much so that we loose our way....we loose ourselves. When we pray, we should not ask for that which so freely surrounds us for if it is easy to obtain then what makes it worth fighting for......we should always go forth boldly and pray instead for the power to equal our tasks.....for our will is great but our strength is barren. May your mission be so great that it will take a mounted army to aide and support........for our destiny awaits us....all the while it is gaining strength and momentum.........our hearts keep freely beating in our chest walls.......as we press forward to our desires-though we sometimes are not clear what our desires are-they always surround us. Our fight is for that of Christ's kingdom....some of us don't even realize that is what we are fighting for....but it is there...in front of us....whether or not we are aware of it....and everyday....we continue pushing back the evil that tries to deafen our cries...our pleas....all for humanity....but our cries still fall on deaf ears....so we continue to travel toward our distant goal..........we continue trying to reach the lost.

BURN OUT

THANK YOU, JESUS FOR BEING MY STRENGTH WHEN I CAN’T BARE TO FACE ANOTHER DAY!!

Well…I have officially hit “burn out.” I am so exhausted from this past week. Work was really crazy this week. Also, the in-laws are coming in for a visit so instead of dropping in pure exhaustion then I have to figure out where to stash all this mess that I have managed to recently accumulate in my living room following my spring cleaning (which hasn’t been finished but is all dumped in the way). Then just when I think I can still manage to survive with my head above water and I realize that I may can pull this miracle house cleaning before the in-laws come in then ***BAM…***…..and just like that reality gets a great laugh at my expense because wouldn’t you know that now Kade is sick. He went with Aaron to church Sunday and Aaron called me to come get him because he started throwing up. Well, let’s just say that Wednesday night turned out to be longer than I had hoped and was way less productive than I had imagined.

Now Kade seems to be much better and the storm has become eerily quite again….which is what usually happens before making landfall. Well, I am going to continue to enjoy what seems, at this moment, to be the “eye of the storm” for as long as I am allowed. After all, life is best lived in and through the daily challenges we fail to anticipate….

Well, since it has been several months since my last blog then I can't possibly cram an update, or at least a good update into one little entry. I will just say that my family and I went on vacation in Gulf Shores, which was a BLAST!! Also, my sister left with her kids to go to South Virginia to be with her husband (who is working there). I have been very depressed about that because I miss her and her babies so much! Fortunatly she is home right now and will hopefully be here until Christmas. Lots more has happened but I am not sure where to even begin so I will just end with a promise to try and do better. Although, after a day like today at work....I am so exhausted I can barely keep my eyes open.

I had a wonderful day. I spent the day being extremely lazy. I did go with my mom to the doctor but that was the extent of the productiveness of my day. Oh yeah, I also ran to the pharmacy to grab some medicine. Other than that I have slept and laid around ALL DAY LONG!! I have loved it and my body has needed the rest more than words could ever describe. I think sometimes we run so hard and so fast that we forget to slow down and let our bodies catch up. We push as hard as we can, as fast as we can, and we expect that our body won't really need the rest and that everything will work out. Unfortunately we are not sure why we work so hard. I mean, what is it that we really accomplish? and What for? What good will all of the stress and acocomplishments do for us in the long run? The only accomplishments we take with us are those that we have accomplished in, thru, and for Christ. If it furthered His kingdom than it is worth the hard work but anything else we do is in vain! So why do we give that which is in vain much more importance in our lives.

Do u ever?

First of all, thank goodness it is Friday!! I have been very contemplative tonite and seem to have over analyzed everything...every word....every silence. Not sure what is wrong with me. Probably just really tired. It was a long week at work and even longer week at home. I am looking forward to working the food panty in the morning. Aaron and I both love that. Well, I guess I have got to run. I still have an errand before I can go to bed tonight.