Another day in the life of the BusyBusy Family...did the Fat Lady sing yet???

MASONIC CHIP PROGRAM


It's been a busy weekend for the BusyBusy Family, and it's not over yet!

Yesterday was the funeral for GoodMom's father in law.

He died on Memorial Day, after mowing the lawn.
It was unexpected... and sudden.
Awful, but good, too, in a way.
In that is was quick and not painful I mean...

We had prior commitments and as I so often find myself, I was jockeying kids from one place to another becasue, when you say you will do something, YOU DO IT!

We managed to get them all done, and the kids, although whiney about it at first, actually had a good time.

After the funeral I had to take BratChild and SIX to meet up with TeenBoy at a local festival where he was helping the Masons with their CHIP program.

What IS CHIP you ask?

Very good question, and something every parent needs to know about.

CHIP stands for Child Id Program, and is a nationwide program that takes information from parents/guardians of children of all ages AND puts it into a file that can be read by any law enforcement agency in the country.

Personal data, fingerprints, photos and a video ( for voice recognition and mannerisms) are done right there on a single computer, in minutes, with the end result a packet containing a CD with all the data on it, printed ID form with photo ID sections that can be laminated to carry in a wallet, and a DNA swab.
Once home you swab your child's inner cheek, then return it to it's wrapper and place in the packet envelope.
The packet can then be stored in a cool, dry place- readily accessible for vacations or if, God Forbid, and I so seriously mean that, it is needed in a hurry.

The coolest part about this is that in an emergency you just hand the CD to a law enforcement officer and they can slide it into the computer in their official vehicle and press a button and VOILA' ...

Amber Alert is out NATIONWIDE in seconds... WOWSERS!

Is that not cool, or what?

The other MOST AWESOME part is that this service is FREE.

The program software and hardware is provided by the State Police and is compatible with the 2 programs used nationwide.

Masonic Lodges all over the country have purchased these units and provide this service to anyone FREE OF CHARGE...

The Masons are a community service organization, after all, and the welfare of children is their priority.

Mason's sponsor children's hospitals, cancer centers and research, MS research, eye and hearing clinics...

and so much more...

Do you have a school or community event coming up that NEEDS this service there???

Just contact your local Masonic Lodge and ask about the CHIP program.
They'll be happy to help and you won't meet a nicer group of men who really care about their community....

Because community means family and the Mason's are all about Family...

The only problem I found is...
That in all the hectic-ness of the day I FORGOT to get my own kids done!

Next time I will...

Really, I WILL!

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.