Our service members carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Their burden is shared by us, the people who love them. The act of taking on this kind of stress is taxing. Our ability to live fully ourselves is more important than ever. But sometimes, we struggle.
As I sit here at my computer working on my next blog post to you all, I had to stop what I was working on and save it for another blog post due to this pressing on my heart and what I feel God urging me to share.
In the light of the recent weeks’ events, things that are going on in the Middle East, soldiers being mobilized, and families separated due to deployment, this month I am going to write about legacy.
First, let’s define legacy. Legacy is anything handed down from the past; from an ancestor or predecessor. You may wonder, What does legacy have to do with photographs? I truly believe that photographs are a window into the past. A record in history that someone was here or something happened.
2019 was a rough year for me. The only thing more unbalanced than my mental health was my diet. I had such high hopes for 2020—I even made a resolution to be immerse myself in better, more positive thinking habits.
All of that came to a screeching halt last week as I watched our troops deploying and rockets flying over al-Asad.
The “friendly” meme drop came just as I had begun to calm down from the initial here-we-go-again panic. The fuzzy-greenish haze of worry began to slowly sharpen into a red-hot fury of rage. Did my non-military friend really just send me a meme reminding me to “think good thoughts?”
You have got to be kidding me right now.
The holiday season; the season of Joy. In my experience the holiday season brings many happy moments: Watching holiday movies, making cookies to share, decorating the house with lights, spending time with family.
Christmas carols hold a special place in my heart. Every Christmas Eve of my childhood was spent singing carols with my family while my church organist grandmother played the piano. We are, by no means, one of those Von Trapp-caliber singing families. Still, we would laugh as we sang different parts for The Twelve Days of Christmas and poked fun at Grandma during our rendition of Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.
Even as I write these words and remember such joyful moments, I have tears in my eyes.
This time of the year is notorious for finding something in your life that you want to remove, increase, or alter from the previous year into the new year.
I have gone through many New Year’s resolutions in my lifetime. Becoming debt-free is always near the top of my list—each year I am able to decrease it, but never fully cross the finish line. Other times I am able to truly commit to changing my behaviors for a better wiser self.
Why do some of the commitments that we make never survive into February, while others become a lifestyle change? Finding the why inside, that core motivation to make the desired change.
We’ve all heard the saying “just do the best you can do.”
Possibly this was muttered by your senile, passive-aggressive Great Aunt this holiday season while standing around the cheeseball; hopefully, it was said with sincerity from a loved one.
Military wives know this phrase possibly better than anyone else. And if you don’t, then I hope this post will empower you to see the truth in this phrase.
I, like many other victims, am a recovered people pleaser. At one point in my life, I was so concerned with letting people down or saying “no” that I would break down in tears if I had to break a commitment. It wasn’t until I had two kiddos a mere 19 months apart that I realized I needed a change.
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