When is Enough Enough?

Many of you know that I am the Mom of 3 boys and 3 girls.

My girls, SmartGirl and BratChild, belong to the Masonic youth group for young ladies called Rainbow for Girls.

My boys, ManBoy and TeenBoy, belong to the Masonic youth group for young men called DeMolay.

The precepts, or virtues, that are the guidelines for both of these organizations are similar.

Love of God

Love of Country

Love of Family

These are the 3 premises that the others stem from. Without these 3 virtues, grasped firmly and indellibly written on our hearts there is no Patriotism, no Fidelity, no Comradeship.

As many of you may also know, or have read about here on the pages of my blog, there have been many deaths from within the ranks of our DeMolay family.

As of March there had been more than 10 deaths in 18 months, the last 2 of

which had been ladies, Moms to the young men of our DeMolay chapter.

Women who had been my friends, with whom I had spent time and enjoyed many laughs, joys and sorrows.

Once again I sit here saddened by the news that yet another of my DeMolay sons has passed away. Like Charlie and Kurt, so too was this man ...

From TWLOHA website

Too young

Too full of life

Too filled with dreams

To let anything get in the way...

Lenny was from the same chapter as Charlie and Kurt, not my chapter, but the one with which we are most closely bonded.

Like Kurt, Lenny was ManBoy's age and was just beginning the journey of life and love trying to make his dreams become his reality.

3 young men...

All of them good men.

All of them a part of something so much larger than they....

DeMolay

part of one of the oaths taken by those who enter the Order of DeMolay is this:

..." I Promise to come to the aid of a brother in need"...

Lenny was a brother in need, he was a brother who had the support of those who knew and loved him, and of all DeMolay brothers across the nation, indeed all over the world.

All he had to do was ask... all he had to do was turn to a brother...

A smile, a gleam in his eye, the sound of hands drumming out a beat on the back of a chair- annoying the person sitting in that chair of course...
These are the things that I remember of Lenny.

He was not one of MY boys, but he was one of OUR boys.
One of the herd that runs through my life on a regular basis, often trying my patience, often making me smile, always leaving me proud of the men they are becoming...
have become...

My pride in them does not stop once they are gone from my life...

So, there have been too many deaths, too many young lives lost...
Too much grief, too much of the pain of learning to say good-bye to friends...

Just too much.

Support Suicide Prevention in Teens and Young Adults... Give to TWLOHA... Show You Care

Every cloud has a silver lining... well, not all of them

Can the weather be a reflection of the turmoil in one's life?

I think it can.

A friend died today.

She was a wife, a mother, an individual with a personality all her own...

She had sarcoidosis of the liver.

Just 2 months ago she was told that her liver was not bad enough to be put on the transplant list.

Just 3 months ago we were in New Orleans for the DeMolay Old South competition with our boys.

She spent the past 4 weeks in and out of the hospital with various health issues that were related to her liver problem, but not life threatening once the docs got them under control.

Or so they said.

Apparently not.

So, I sit here watching the sky turn black-yellow-green, the winds whip up a frenzy of flying leaves and limbs- I fully expect to see The Wicked Witch of the West fly by on her broom any second- and the rain fall in horizontal sheets obstructing all view more than a foot from the windows.

And I like the look and the sound of the storm raging outside.

It fits the storm that I feel raging inside.

Yes, the weather can reflect one's feelings.

At least today, for me, the weather did just that.

Honor and Duty... and so much more

Memorial Day.

A day to relax by the pool, put your feet up and enjoy time spent with family and friends.

That's what it has become.
That's not REALLY what it's for... although don't get me wrong, I do as much of that as the next gal!

Memorial Day... Memory Day... A day to Remember the WHOs and WHATs and WHEREs that made us, as a nation, able to spend time pursuing the joys of our family and friends.

Those men who stood up and fought for US-- as in us, the citizens of the United States, and US as in Uncle Sam... those who stormed the beaches of Normandy in June 1944, who fought in the jungles on Viet Nam in the early 60's, and those who fought in the corn fields, valleys and forests of this nation during the American Revolution, the Civil War... and all the periods of civil unrest through out our nation's short, but poignant history.

Saturday ManBoy, BratChild and SIX walked in a local Memorial Day Parade as representatives of Freemasonry, Order of Rainbow for Girls, and DeMolay.

SIX, my 11 1/2 year old youngest son and our 6th child, took turns carrying the DeMolay banner with another young DeMolay over the course of the 1 mile parade route.
At the onset of the parade, well, at the staging area actually, the boys saw several men in full military uniform and wearing baseball caps with their ship or service on them. I explained that they were Veterans of WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm and those currently serving in the military.

During the parade I saw that each boy, when not carrying the banner, would go up to men along the parade route and shake hands with the men in uniform and wearing the hats I had pointed out earlier.

Six and CC were thanking the soldiers for their service with a smile and a firm handshake. One older gentleman wearing a WWII cap burst into tears when SIX asked to shake his hand. Six was taken aback. He thought he had done something wrong, when in reality, he had done exactly the right thing for this lone man sitting in his wheelchair on his front lawn watching his hometown parade, just as he has probably done for 40 years or longer.

I saw a young Marine, in full dress uniform salute one of the Masons marching with ManBoy as he passed. In my mind's eye I saw MW, ManBoy's childhood friend, who is himself a Marine who has done service in Iraq. Pride filled my heart as the tears filled my eyes.

As we passed the Grand Marshall our groups were announced and met with much applause and approval. And SIX and CC were astounded to hear the man I had seen saluted being thanked for his service on D-Day on Omaha Beach.

When we returned to the lodge after the parade for lunch, CC approached this man and asked if it was true.
"No", the man replied. "He got it wrong. I wasn't at Omaha, I had an easy time of it. I hit land at Utah Beach."

CC and SIX shook his hand and told him thank you.

And they meant it.

And I was so very proud of an 11 and a 13 year old boy, who showed in that one short morning of community duty, the men they are becoming.

My heart swelled with pride and my eyes filled with tears and I thought...

Charlie and Kurt would be so very proud of them, their little brothers.

I know I am.

PS- I read a post at Blue Cotton Memory yesterday... it's full of wonderful quotes by George Washington, Ronald Reagan, GW Bush, and my all-time favorite, Dwight Eisenhower.

We interrupt this broadcast...

Today's blog entry has been pre-empted to bring you this heartfelt and soul-wrenching post about what a HERO is...

For those who are used to my sometimes witty, and often satirical, view of the world, and myself, please indulge me.

HERO is such a small word, but it's meaning is greater than any can imagine, unless they have had the privilege to know a TRUE HERO.

I have been lucky enough to know TWO.

As I write this, a funeral is taking place, in a church, outside a small town in Maryland.

I can not be there in person, but am there in my heart, and know that the church is now over flowing with people showing their respect, and yes thanks, for the sacrifice made by a young man of 21, barely old enough to bUy a beer, but plenty old enough to shoulder the responsibility of leading a unit, of caring for his men, and willing to make the supreme sacrifice in their stead.


Marine Cpl. Kurt Shea is being laid to rest today. His family will say their last good-byes, his friends will say "See you later", knowing that when their times come, they will. He will be there waiting with a ready smile, his head tilted slightly, and a smart remark to make them feel at home.

How he died is not the reason he is a Hero, but the result.
His ideals, his convictions, and his allegiance to living a life true to them is what makes him a Hero.

Love of God, Love of Country, Love of Family... these are the truths he lived everyday.

As I was standing, waiting for the Memorial Service his DeMolay brothers were about to begin, I learned some distressing, but not surprising, information.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church were planning to demonstrate outside his funeral service today. This gave me pause. How can God-loving, self-described Christians, so negate the life of a man of honor and dignity?

Anger and sorrow filled me with contempt for these people.
Until I looked at the slide show of Kurt, detailing his short, but love filled life.

And I realized what he knew all along; saw him for the TRUE HERO he IS.

He fully understood, and took on the responsibility, of being one of THE ONES who make those people able to do what they do, say what they say.

And if not for the very ones they cry out against...

Where would they be?

This is for Kurt and his DeMolay Brother, Marine Sgt.Charles Cartwright, TWO HEROs I will remember and THANK GOD for...

Always.

The Right thing.... It's THE THING to do

Monday is always a busy day.
A hectic day.
A day I would rather do without.

This week Monday was even worse than usual.
More hectic, more rushed, more filled with 'stuff' because of the things that had been put off from the weekend.
But those I did not mind. Those I knew about in advance and could plan for.

The email notice that made the day awful?
That was unexpected.
Unwanted.

Another young man of my acquaintance died Monday May 10, 2010.
In a far away, hot and sandy place. Protecting people he did not know, because it was the right thing to do.
Because he believed in the rightness of living a life free from oppression and tyranny. In the freedom to worship your God and to teach your children without fear and judgment from others. In the preservation of a country's people and their beliefs and their ability to be more and do more for themselves.

These are the things he died for.
These are the things worth dying for.

Marine Cpl. Kurt Shea - a Senior DeMolay aged 21 died Monday May 10, 2010 in Afghanistan. Far from his home and family, but never far from the thoughts and hearts of those who loved him.

Pictured: Some of his DeMolay brothers

I do not always agree with the politicos and their posturing. Their ideas. Their arguments.

But I always support our troops. Our boys in blue, in green, in camo... who do the right thing because...

It's the RIGHT thing to do.

Ode to the Satellite Radio... OR... How I survived 18 hours in a car with TeenBoy!

I'm back from my grueling weekend in The Big Easy... and what a weekend it was.

First things first~ because some people DO read this and may be interested...

TeenBoy's DeMolay Chapter swept the Major Events ( only the 2nd time in the 20 year history of this competition that has happened--- Hall OF Fame here we come!) and TeenBoy ended up with 4 1st place medals as a result.

All the boys competing were awesome, and I should know, I was a judge!

So, with that out of the way, can I just say that I am glad I have Satellite Radio in my minivan?

Any of you who have ever driven anywhere, for any length of time and distance, will understand what I'm talking about when I say
Satellite Radio Saved My Life!

When driving 1202 miles in 18 hours, passing thru 7 states, chasing the sun on the eastern horizon half the day, then running just as quickly from it the other half...

One does start to find one's mind feeling a bit, well, mushy, after a while.

Local FM stations tend to fade off all too soon, leaving you with an earful of crackling static while you hurriedly try to find another station with, at the very least, half-way decent music to keep your brain cells sparking while you roll along.

The wonderful thing about this new-fangled Satellite Radio is that the stations are always there!
And the variety is so totally AWESOME!

Thank. You. Lord.

Blue Collar Comedy, Laugh USA, RadioClassics, The Pulse, 70's, 80's, 90's, Book Radio...

I laughed til I cried.
I sang until I was hoarse.
I waited with baited breath for Boston Blackie and The Texas Rangers to catch the bad guys...

And I drove and drove and drove...
until I had to stop for a bathroom break, or 8.

Because you do know, don't you, the other way to keep the brain working at top speed is to stay well hydrated...

and 112 ounces of fluids later...

we arrived at our home, safe and sound, in only 18 hours and 15 minutes.
Tired but happy to be home, proud of the achievements of the weekend.

It was wonderful... yeah, well, most of the time that is!
But that's a story for another day!

On The Road Again..... Me and WIllie, we're kickin' it!

Yes. Today is the day we arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana.

NOLA for short... Home to some and Playground to others.

For us, it's where the boys will compete for medals and awards, but mainly, the prestige of winning the Old South Competition in New Orleans.

This is a big deal. A really big deal.

I, for one, believe the boys will bring home the Gold, or what ever color the medals and trophies are this year...

And, I have faith that TeenBoy will WOW the judges with his first ever BIG individual event... memorizing many pages of script and direction... it ain't so easy, but he makes it look like it is... Amazing the memory on that kid!

So, after driving for 2 days we will arrive this afternoon. TeenBoy full of expectations of accolades and awards...

Me? Bourbon Street, Musicians on the corners, and Cafe' DuMonde ... Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!

Les Bon Temps Roule... Let The Good Times Roll, Cher!

Put One Foot in Front of the Other...

I know. I KNOW!

I've been MIA this week, but for good reason.

And what is this good reason you may ask.

Well,I have been working on one of my New Year's Not-Resolutions!

Yes, I said NOT RESOLUTION. And by this I mean I didn't make any 'Real' list of what I wanted to accomplish this year, it was more like a vague outline.

But, one of the things I wanted to do was get healthier. Eat better, feel better, work on being the me I am inside on the outside... one that I would recognize in a mirror would be helpful too, you know how that is?

I recently joined a Mom's forum called CafeMom where there are various groups and forums for Mom's to chat, talk about their kids, their jobs, their varied interests, and YES, even weight loss and getting healthy.

I wanted to see if there were any Mom's in my area that wanted to start walking with me, and HOLY COW! There were!

We started walking earlier this week. We met at a local park, took a nice walk along the trails while we got acquainted. It was really nice to find ladies in my town that could meet several times a week to walk with me.

N is my age, while L is Girlchild's age.

L has 2 small children she pushes along in the stroller, getting the added benefit of upper arm workout while the rest of us just get to plod along.

N has 5 kids, most of them the same ages as mine, and they went to the same high school. It's a small world, seriously!

It rained today so we met at the local mall, window shopping our way through 3 laps of the GINORMOUS place. GirlChild made it today and enjoyed meeting L. I knew they would get along, and L only recently moved here so it's nice that she meets some people of her generation too.

So, with meeting these lovely ladies, making arrangements to get our walking ritual in place, working AND getting TeenBoy ready for this weekend's trip...

And then there's the New Orleans trip he and I are taking for DeMolay next week...and TeenGirl's Rainbow weekend...

It's been a rather busy week at our house.

But if the choice is between active, healthy and well-traveled kids versus kids sitting at home playing video games or hanging out at the mall...

I'll take the hectic and ever-exciting life we live anyday!