Stevie Pic #6 The Tree
It blooms, white as can, be for about one whole day, then it fades like all the other trees. This is not her best picture, because I think we missed the high bloom, but it’s here for “filler”. Fast pic. Fast post. Stay in the game because I have to go to work now for the long weekend. It’s my holiday. But I am not going to complain too much because unlike the military people, I, at least, get to come home every day to my family. Hopefully I will post more as we go through the next few days. Nothing groundbreaking or relevant to any particular thing, just whatever I have on hand and can post quick and efficiently. If you are home this weekend, please enjoy it and take a few moments to think, about all who have, and still are, out there making a difference, so we can have a barbeque and hang out in the sunshine. Although the sunshine is not available right now. Looks like rain. I guess that’s OK too. Cozy up inside and have a nice cup of coffee and I will check back later. Hug a vet (or a soldier) if you have one near. And as my cousin always says, (who has a son in the Army (Rangers–Special Forces)—AND my other cousin, who also has a son in the Army (Bomb Squad)—which I need to give a personal shout out too–hey Brett–(and momma) you’ll get your own dedication soon—SO SO proud of both, she says in case you forgot already: Freedom isn’t free. Our kids are out there carrying on! Mine says he’s going too after high school. Then I will really be on the soapbox shouting the word. Wow. This is a sudden heavy turn for a post about a picture of a tree. Ending now. Get those flags up and hanging! That’s what I’m going to do right now! Later.
It’s All About The Family
Even if I don’t do anything else today but this, I will consider it a superior day off. This is my cousin and her beautiful family. They have graciously allowed me to post their picture and talk about them today. That would be Linda to the left (she comments quite hilariously from time to time, as you may have read here if you follow along this little bloggy thing, and/or actually read the comments) and her hubby Chris to the right. The girl in front is their daughter Meranda and the boy in the back is their son Andrew. It’s not really fair to call them “girl” and “boy” anymore as they are now grown adults and living their own separate lives. The way you do when you have awesome parents to raise you and send you out into the world equipped with the knowledge and skills you are going to need to battle on through, and the security of knowing that no matter what happens in this life there are people around who will always have your back and guide you safely home if ever need may be. And that’s a good thing.
My family spent Saturday night hanging out with this family, and all my other family, to wish that man in the back a safe goodbye from our little corner of the world and into the wide open spaces of everywhere else. Andrew is leaving on a plane today and heading to Georgia, where he is going to become a soldier in an easy 15 week program we like to call job orientation. Yeah right. Look at that beautiful boy with that gorgeous curly hair. Tomorrow he will be bald and uniformed up, in the company of a hundred other beautiful sons, from all over America, running running running running until he’s too tired to even eat or sleep, and then running some more. The ultimate goal here is to jump jump jump jump. Andrew wants to fly. But not in the plane. He wants to soar into the sky as high as the machinery can take him and then leap out into the open blue and let the winds bring him safely back to earth. Airborne but rock steady. We raise these kids with our best ability to dream as big as they want, go forward as far as they can, and rise as high as their minds can ever imagine. But we usually like to keep them on the ground. Safe with us. Safe with family. Safe with friends. Just…safe. But when we do get that rare chance to see a sweet little boy turn into a strong young man, well, it’s really hard to try and hold them down. You just have to let them fly. And you have to trust that they will come back to you.
I feel so lucky to have been able to be there on Saturday to say goodbye. And to wish Andrew well on his journey into the clouds, and above and beyond, but still on the ground. (I hear there might be some sort of daily exercise routine that encompasses calisthenics and trail walking. Like a vacation spa! They even feed you for free!) Ha ha. I have to joke somewhere because sometime it’s necessary. And that’s who we are. Anyway, good luck and god speed, to someone who is already fit to live in this world quite successfully, but will return as the new and improved version of the extraordinary young man he already is. Take as much care as you can. Keep your feet clean and dry.
Love and more love to all.
Chris and Linda, you guys did really really good. Your kids are awesome. Period.
just shy of pretty 