happysnappysong's Blogs

I finally did it! I made my very first Video for youtube and google videos! Its simple, and a gift kind of for a friend that owns a working horse farm. She dedicates her life to horses and special people, I am making a website for her and I figured adding some personal Videos would be a great surprize for her, this is my first one, It was a learning cruve getting the timing an formats down right, But the music came out good and the pictures look good!

I think after a recent blogger I have to speak up about what I see a lot of lately with the increase of troop support and mostly letter/email exchanges as a whole. I have been doing the adopt a platoon, adopt a soldier, letter writing, holiday campaigns for a long time. I have made some of the best and closest of friends by doing so, including from military support websites and military networking, so I am very familiar in how things work. Let me start off by saying that it is a wonderful way to say thank you, and show support around the world, and I LOVE doing it.

 

I started writing letters, care packages when I started to realize what the stories my grandfather used to tell me as a child growing up really meant to him. I watched my grandfather's health deteriorate slowly over the years but his mind and memory of his time of service during the war stood strong right up to the day of his death 1 year ago!! His pride in his country never deteriorated even when life was slowly slipping away from him. He cried on 9/11 just like most of us, but not just for the people who died. He cried and said "God Bless our Boys, we are going to war" and sat silently remembering what that meant to him as a young man.

 

I have some advise for people who look at supporting the military as a way to "hook up" or land a man/woman with tags... Don't!!  Yea they are polite, friendly, calm and wonderful people to have conversations with, they love what they do and have a incredible passion for it. They have a greater respect for human life and usually will vote for the underdog, Help that disabled person get up, and help walk an elderly woman across a busy street, because of they type of person it takes to be military that is who they are!! But reading more into it than that does not provide them with support, Only listening intently and understanding will do that.

 

This is not what supporting our military is all about. Seriously I have seen way too many people who begin with simple conversations , short or long letters and then they start to fantasize about what it would be like to meet them, be with them, ect ect.. When you write to someone whom you have never met in person it is easy to say things you would not be able to say to someone face to face, then you add in the fact that these men and women who are deployed, are away from their families, friends, they get lonely, and sad and they need more support than ever. They look forward to getting letters from home, goodies they can't get by walking to a corner store. They look forward to hearing how life is for us here, and they look forward to sharing their life style away from home. Sharing how they feel, what they think about while being in downtime, is all a way of distraction to keep them going. They love sharing stories, dreams, goals, feelings of happiness, love, passions is a way to keep themselves going with a sense of hope and feeling more real then just a tank driver or sniper. By writing and keeping these men and woman, going by sharing part of our lives, our goals, dreams, passions ect we are doing a great service if that is the kind of communication they enjoy. Some like to share intimate details, specially to strangers whom they know they will never be judged by nor will they on most accounts meet. They share deep details to keep them from forgetting who they are as a civilian off duty, or why they are fighting a good fight on duty. It humanizes them when they feel like machines that are doing a job to protect and entire country. It is what they love doing and yet they are human and have emotions and feelings that they have to learn when and where it is appropriate to share.... And sharing in a letter or email is a safe haven to them all. Sharing in letters to a complete stranger is safe because they know that they can be as open and honest to an outside party. Some do have wives and girlfriends back home but for a soldier it is difficult for them to talk openly and honestly as they do not want their spouse, family to worry any more then they all ready do. They know that back home wives are busy raising children and working to keep the family together and they know mom is crying at night from worry and missing a son or daughter, So they feel that talking about how they feel to them will only burden them or worry them more, which is why it is important to have pen pals from outside the military world and family world. You do a great service by helping a person whom may be lonely or missing someone, or keeping them going, with laughter and cheer.. It is a wonderful thing

 

The line is crossed when we supporters do not realize that they do have families, friends, wives, children and they will at some point go home. And that is when we have to be satisfied that they are going home to be with the ones they love and the ones that love them. Nine out of ten times once they say they are packing up to go home that is when we know we have done a great job and they will be going home with a smile in thier heart. Sure it is sad to say goodbye and sure we supporters will go through a withdrawal period too, because we sometimes spend a year getting to know someone, but we have to understand that it is the happiest of times for them as well. Some that we support will indeed give us home numbers and home addresses so that we can keep in contact with them, but a lot of those we support also know that when they get home they will be busy getting back into the family life and healing or mending the broken hearts they left behind.

 

Supporting our military is a patriotic way of keeping them going, man and women, Its not a way to land a tag or a dating service. IF you only support the military with the fantasy that he/she will get off the plane and run into your arms, that is not a service, it is a fantasy!! Sure they share deep secrets, cause they know they can be free in a letter of words, but.... We all share, everyone loves to tell thier stories, and everyone likes listening with intent to thier stories. but to read into more than what it is, certainly will leave you empty hearted and sad rather than happy and feeling as if you have done a good thing.

 

Like I have said earlier, I have met hundreds over the years and I share and listen... Some I still talk to and some I do not for one reason only!!! Because they are happy and home and loving thier life as they did before they were deployed. It doesn't mean they will forget us, it means they will remember us as that person that keep them going when they needed it the most, and to me that is more than enough!

 

I would like to thank those who have wished me well while I have been dealing with my daughters car accident last week. I have posted some new pics of my car that she was driving. I took a deep breath and grabbed my dad's hand to go and actually look at it for the first time and I am so thankful that my daughter was able to get out and have only a few injuries. For those who don't know a short recap.

My 21 year old borrowed my car to go to an interview. On her way home she called me on my cell screaming and crying that she had just been smoked head on by some woman who was racing to get to the turn lane and crossed over and hit my girl head on. I kind of went into a daze for a minute and then asked if she called police. She said yes and then I asked if she was ok, and she said there is an off duty police officer who was right behind her helping her. I got in my dad's truck and drove to the scence and saw that the accident was so bad they had to close the highway! I could see her walking around, the fire trucks, ambulance and state police directing traffic, I pulled off the road and ran to her to get there just in time for them to be putting her on a back board and collar on and took her off to the hospital. I watched as they took my car off the road and onto the tow truck.

Now as I look at my car, a large size chevy lumina 4 door 6 cyl very hefty stable safe car which is why I baught it. it looked like it was hit by a train, not a little 4 cly saab. What was this woman thinking?? she completely crossed the double yellow and smashed my car, tore off the front bumper, smashed out the windshield, and both airbags went off, and pushed the car to its side. she was flying and being stupid, careless.

My daughter has had physical t. xrays, MRI's, and is now so afraid to even get in a car none the less drive. and the insurance company well they are playing games and now I have to get a lawyer because the woman who hit her head on has one! see money talks, and the three witnesses including an off duty cop and the condition of my car is not good enough.  I am just sick to my stomach and beside myself with what to do next. I don't even have a car now, and have to resort to using my dad's truck. And if thats not the end of it, when I went to go look at my car at the junkyard the junkyard owner started to hit on me in a real big way, very gross sickening way so much so that I made sure my father was with me when I went to go take pictures. grrrrrrr and now this old greaseball has my number..........

My soon to be ex called me like 15 times, which is normal for him when I don't jump and answer my cell the second he does call. So I kindly explain that I have been very busy and I don't appreciate the continuous calls... ONE call and leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I am freed up...... I mean I am in the bank, talking to the teller, and had to finally turn off the phone cause it was vibrating up a storm in my purse. Anyways......... He said its 11 am what could you be doing?? ahhh duhhh I have 4 kids, a car accident to deal with from last week, its Monday, the lawn needs to be done, volunteer at the local horse farm for therapy lessons today, laundry, dishes, breakfast, dog duty, Plan dinner, finish painting, and the list goes on and on, not to mention work......... So his come back is....... (5 years separated and still think I will ask him back lol NOT) Sucks having to do everything alone! WHAT??  so I said in return and these are words I live by...... " I would rather do everything alone without you than do everything alone with you" In other words......... I AM HAPPY SO LEAVE ME ALONE lol!! I think more women and men should live by those words because there are too many people walking around believing that having a bad partner is better than be alone and having no partner........

OK marriage counseling 101 over today.......

PS no charge lol