I wanted to wish a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY! to my daughter tomorrow!!!
I was without Internet service for a few days during a changeover in my service provider, and yikes! I think my blog is starting to look like I only post the Wednesday Hero blogroll!!
I used my time away from the blogosphere profitably,however, and finally read two of the three books I'd gotten for Christmas.Both books were every bit as good as I'd thought they'd be.
I first read American Mourning by Catherine Moy and Melanie Morgan I think the authors did a great job of non-judgementally portraying how grief affected the members of the Sheehan and Johnson families (although I seem to be in a minority in thinking that,lol, going by the reviews on Amazon...a lot of Cindy Sheehan supporters seemed to think that the authors had targeted Ms.Sheehan to make her look bad.)
My personal opinion,for whatever it is worth, is that grief is painful and difficult, and what made this book a compelling read was that the authors showed as best they could how unimaginably awful it is for Any family to lose a child to war, and struggle to come to terms with that. Each person in the families responded to their loss in different ways,and the authors were simply telling their stories. I can see why so many people recommended it, and I'm so glad I finally received it for Christmas, and got the chance to read it!! Definitely worth the read.
I then read Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57 by Michael Weisskopf This was an amazing book. The author is a civilian reporter who lost his hand while embedded with a unit in Iraq, and besides telling his own story of recovery, he includes the stories of some of the soldiers he bonded with during that time. I think he did a wonderful job of capturing the comradery that exists among all the wounded who are struggling to put their lives back together. and while parts of the book moved me to tears, the overall message is one of faith,strength and hope, and a testament to the human spirit. A must read.
And that is the end of 'Book Reviews' from Kathi for today.I still have a Dean Koontz and John Grisham and W.E.B. Griffin book to read, and I also have to get a Valentine's care package put together (quickly!! time is running out to get it in the mail) and some correspondence with soldiers to catch up on.
And speaking of correspondence with soldiers? I'm a week late in passing this on ("real life" keeps intruding on web forays), but I wanted to pass on this call from the founder of Soldiers Angels
"To the 20,000 plus servicemembers and families....
Thank you from the bottom of our"freedom loving hearts" for serving our country! You all play crucial roles in defending freedom; what the family and loved ones do here in the states is equally appreciated as is the deployed servicemembers' role in the call to serve.
We want to extend to you, our support during the last phase of news that has extended your stay in Iraq. Soldiers' Angels, is an Internet-based nonprofit that matches thousands of soldiers with those willing to write or send care packages to them among many other projects. We are currently readying ourselves for a jump in the workload that will likely coincide with the increased troop levels.
We encourage the nation to stand up and support our servicemembers as well. "Our troops need you now!!!" You can quickly get involved at www.SoldiersAngels.org or feel free to email soldiersangelprteam@gmail.com or contact us at (615) 676-0239.
"Your call is important to us. Please leave a message including your name, email if possible and phone number and we will contact you within 24 hours."
For Monetary Donations
Soldiers Angels
1792 E. Washington Blvd
Pasadena, Ca 91104
To send donated items ship to:
Soldiers Angels
914 Tourmaline Drive
Newbury Park, CA 91320
Patti Patton-Bader
Pasadena, Ca 91104
Soldiers Angels"
I can only wholeheartedly endorse the call. Our troops and their families DO "need you now", and I encourage you to get involved!
God bless our troops! AND their families!
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