Friday, December 18, 2009

I have been preoccupied with thoughts of my Marine son, David.  It has been several days since I have heard from him.  He is ‘over seas’ somewhere!  I know what country he will eventually be in, but they are not taking a direct route.  All I know is that he is somewhere in Asia– yeah, that’s a big area.  I sure do miss hearing from him.

I am out on the MarineParents forums and the USMC Family & Friends forums a lot.  Those are the two on-line military support groups that I connect with.  I’d like to share with you a prayer that another Marine Mother wrote and posted.  I really like it.  She goes by: [Gillis, VPMM of LCpl Cody from Ringgold, Ga].

A Prayer For My Marine

Father, in the coming days I will need You, but my Marine will need You more.
Let him perform his tasks with a sense of Duty & Honor, Commitment & Courage.

Let his reflexes be quick and his hands steady.
Let his head be clear and his eyes sharp.
Let his mind and body be strong and his spirit stronger.

Christ, please stand by my Marine and watch his back when he cannot.

Father, I love this Marine of mine!

Take from ME, what he needs and give me what he does not.
I will pace the nights, if it means he gets some sleep.
I will deal with fatigue, if it means he will have energy.
I will carry his fear if it means it gives him courage.
I will take his pain, if it means he is healthy and whole.
I will take his anger, if it means he is at peace.

Take from me my love and pride and let him feel it!
Let him know that I am with him every step of the way.

Please, take from me what You can; I give it willingly and with love.
It is all that I have besides my prayers.

Please watch over my United States Marine, for he is so far away…even
though he’s so close to my heart I can feel his warmth.

This I ask on bended knee, that which I cannot do without You.

Amen.

I printed a copy of the prayer– with the addition of a picture of my son at the top.  I will put it up on my cork board that is hanging on the wall that I am now facing.  I might even print an extra copy so that I can carry it with me in my purse.  Then any time I start feeling worried, I can pull it out and read it.

Earlier today,  Joe did a Protection Ritual for David and another soldier that he knows about.   If you would like to see how he had everything set up, you can go to his blog (HedensDog’s Daily Journal) at: http://hedonsdog.wordpress.com/  Joe has recently been practicing the Pagan way of life.   I do not follow the Pagan way.  I was raised Roman Catholic; but then, so was Joe!  Anyway, he doesn’t prevent me from my beliefs, so it would not be fair for me to try to prevent him from practicing his own beliefs.  Just another thing that we differ on.  There are many…..music, tastes in food, movies, and more!  We have had to learn to accept each other for who we are.  It has worked out for us for the past 14 years!   Anyway, David will have me praying for him and Joe supporting him in his own way.   Hey, I won’t turn down any kind of ‘good thoughts’ that anyone would like to send David’s way.  I miss him so much!  I’ll have to work on filling up a care package to mail to him.  That always makes me feel better! 

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

What a cold day it was today!  My big, round outdoor thermometer (With pictures of birds of course!)  never got above 18′.  That doesn’t take into account what it feels like out there, when you figure in the ‘wind-chill’ factor!  Brrrrrr….!

Spent several hours yesterday, writing out a few Christmas letters, wrapping and boxing up all of the jar candles that we had made for gifts this year.  Did you know that if you go to the USPS website (United States Postal Service), fill in the dimensions & weight of your boxes; you can print your own labels and even schedule to have the Postman come right to your door to pick them up?!  On top of that…they give you a discount for doing it yourself.  What a deal!  We had ten boxes stacked up by the door for them to pick up this morning.  That saved me from having to go out in this frigid weather

Today, I finished writing out the rest of my Christmas letters.  Yeah done!   Today is also my Mother’s birthday.  So I called her up and actually sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her.  I wish I could have been there with a Birthday cake for her.  My parents just live too far away…..way up in Gaylord, Michigan.  It is BEAUTIFUL up there!  I just wish it wasn’t such a long drive away.  Happy Birthday Mom, I Love You!

I actually got an email from my son, who is currently deployed over in Afghanistan.  He must be in a temporary area, waiting to move on to their assigned tasking.  It is a short but sweet message…….”hey mom i am doing good i guess it is cold as shit here and i aint used to it. i miss everyone alot. ill try to call home later on when i have time. but i am going to let you go know love david”  (He never was one for grammar!) 

I think I’ll leave it at that and check back in with you all another day.  Goodnight…chirp, chirp!

                                    \/  This is David!  \/

Monday, December 7, 2009

Woke up to SNOW on the ground this morning!  It was so cold outside that the roads were slick & icy.  It took Joe twice as long as usual to get to work.  Luckily, I no longer have to be out there on the roads, fighting rush-hour traffic!  I’m sure Joe was missing his Honda Pilot with its all-wheel drive traction!  

Had a beautiful pair of Red Cardinals visit my back yard feeder this morning.  I normally get dozens of House Finches, Sparrows, Chickadees and Morning Doves.  It was a joy to see the flash of red out there today!  

I have two beagles named Magnum & Bubba.  Magnum is a major housedog!  He does NOT like being outside.  If it is raining or it is very cold outside, he will baulk about going out to do his business.   And then there is Bubba…..he LOVES to be outside!  He would spend most of his time out in the yard if we let him.  Bubba likes to run and chase the birds and the rabbits that stop by to grab a bite to eat!  More about the dogs another time.  (They are sleeping at the moment…..see picture above.) 

Joe & I are hand making all of our Christmas gifts this year.  My part of the ‘making’ is the painting of a ‘Holly & Berries’ boarder around the top rim of the candle jars.  Joe first etched a band around the jar, so that my paints would adhere to the glass better.   After I finished painting all the jars, I baked them in the oven to set the paint.  When they had cooled a bit, Joe filled them with Holly-berry scented Palm wax.  (The house smells wonderful!)  The palm wax cools and looks like a wintry snowflake-like frosted window.  When you burn the candle, a very thin layer of the wax clings to the glass and gives off a beautiful glow while the candle burns.  To top them off, Joe used his polymer clay to make holly leaves and berries- that he glued onto the lids of the jars.  We found some cute fabric gift bags with holly & berries on them at the hobby store to wrap them in.  After Joe finishes attaching the special gift tags, I’ll box them up and get them ready for the mailman to pick up.  We hope our family and friends enjoy them as much as we did in making them!  (I have attached pictures above.)

That’s it for today.  I am sort of dreading tomorrow, as our youngest son, David, will be deploying over seas.  (More on this when it is safe for me to share details.)

Good Night Everyone!  Chirp_Chirp :>

My Daily Chirps! :>

Hello everyone!  I am the proud mother of two grown boys; Jonathan and David.  Jonathan, my oldest son, left home in 2003 to join the United States Marine Corps.  He served with the Marines from ‘03-’08 with three tours in Iraq.  David, my youngest son, left home in 2008 to also join the United States Marine Corps.  He is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC.  His unit is awaiting deployment any day now!  So, with both boys now out of the house, my husband, Joe, and I are officially “empty nesters” .   I enjoy watching the cute little birds that come to my backyard feeder.  My favorite is….the little chickadee!  I also enjoy reading and painting.   I have never had a blog before, so bear with me as I stumble my way around for a while!!  Have a great day!

New blog coming soon!

Look for this exciting new blog coming soon!