This is the second part of the interview from yesterday, June 27, The Unsung Hero of the Army Part 1 A recruiter will typically work five to six days a week “and generally speaking probably a good 12 to 14 hours in a day.” In the Army they typically have regular 9 to 5 work weeks with doing PT[1] first thing in the morning. The reason they work 12 to 14 hour days is “it’s a part of being set up in the civilian area. We have to work around other people’s schedules. In order to sit down and … [Read more...]
The amazing fiction writing journey
I sit at home after having spent a day going through email and editing the next chapter in my book with my main character Katalina Russo. As I sat going through the many critiques received for the chapter, I ran into one that put to the side until the end as it talked about how I could add more to the scene, basically as the saying goes with writers, I could add some meat and flesh to the bones. So I contemplated on how to better bring to life the scene. In the end, this person was right. … [Read more...]
The “Softening”
In a month, Mari will have been gone for four years. I have talked several times over the last four years in how the day she died is not an anniversary as this signifies happiness to me. My eighteen year wedding anniversary was this past February. That is a happy time. Mari’s death, anything but. However, I have come to call it the mark. When Mari died I became wrapped up in the utter sorrow and sadness of it all. My heart felt like it had been ripped open and a gaping would left in its … [Read more...]
Having Pain…
Why do people have to be so uncaring and mean sometimes? For those of you who don’t know (which is probably most of you), I have been having severe hip pain that can go clear down into my knees and sometimes other places in my legs. I have been unable to stay at work for a full day, except for one day, since two weeks ago last Friday. I hurt at home quite often. I simply sit in my recliner all day. I don’t go out and go shopping any more. I can’t take the kids to their baseball practices or … [Read more...]
Happiness
I’m sometimes amazed at the power of God. He put writing into my life and has blessed me as a result. Something that started out as a way to deal with my grief and share those feelings with my friends and family so they knew where I was at has turned into so much more. I look at Mari’s death in a whole new light. It’ll be four years on July 16 (Really, four years already!). Through my grief journey I’ve been able to find something that brings me pure happiness. I’ve been able to meet new and … [Read more...]
You just never know…
Well, I took a pregnancy test today. Now, before you get excited, it was negative. With today technology age and the Smart Phone, there are so many kewl things you can do. Well, I have the iPhone 4. I started with the 3g. I love my phone other than the keyboard is a touch screen instead of an actually keyboard. I mess up texting more times than I can count because I can’t actually touch the screen. Back to the reason I bring up my phone. As they say, “There’s an app for that.” Yes, there … [Read more...]
Giving your life over
(I wrote this last Sunday, March 4, 2012 during worship service) I sat here during church service and watched a man become baptized. This is such a special time. The commitment is huge and precious for any person who does it. He walked down into the water. Our pastor briefly told us how that our church had sent over Bibles while the soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan. This man had received one of those very precious Bibles. He started to read it. As a result he decided to give his life to … [Read more...]
Becoming a Writer
What has writing done for me? Well more than I ever thought even possible. I remember sitting in my high school English class and being just a “C” student. It was hard for me. To get into college I couldn’t even test into English 101. I would have had to go three below and start with English 097. I mean, you really can’t much lower. So for years I have always thought of myself as a terrible writer and that my English writing sucked. By the time I was around 22 or 23 years old I was … [Read more...]
A hole in your heart
When someone close to you dies it leaves a hole in your heart. What I tell people is that a hole was left by our daughter. As the years go by it will get smaller and smaller but it will never completely be filled again until we are in heaven seeing each other again someday. For me, I do not look at the hole as something God is supposed to fill. I think we all have little holes for different tragedies, no matter how big or small, that have happened in our lives. If the hole was to be filled by … [Read more...]
The innocence of a child
It's interesting with kids the things they will say and are not scared or embarrassed by. They don't have any reason to think before speaking yet because they are still so naive to what the world holds for them. It is hard lessons over time in our lives that start to teach us to become more and more reserved. Some to the point of holding everything in and not sharing with anyone unless that person comes to truly trust someone else. I think that kids can see things as they are and are still … [Read more...]
