Signs of the times

Soon. I promise to get off the red, white, and blue topic soon.

But, have you ever heard of the term "blue star mothers"? Well, in WWII, families would display a blue star for every child they had in the service. It would be hung in the window for all to see. If the service member was injured, a silver star would be affixed to the blue star, and if the son died, a gold star was affixed to it. The banner or plaque or flag could be flown during times of war or hostilities.

Two of my co-workers have children in the service. Susan, whom I mentioned before, has two sons, one who just came home from Iraq, and one who is still there. She has power of attorney for the deployed son, and it has weighed on her, making sure his affairs are managed and bills paid. Tomorrow, she's flying to another state to check on his house and belongings and, well, his girlfriend! I made her a banner and gave it to her last night at work, since I won't see her again for a couple of weeks:

Based on the fact she was speechless for a few minutes (a real rarity for her!), I'd say she likes it.

M.'s daughter and son-in-law are both in the service, and she is raising the baby granddaughter until mommy comes home, hopefully in late May or early June. This is the banner I made for her:

She works in ICU, and they were having a bad night last night. I pulled her aside in a quiet moment and gave it to her, with Susan standing by. M. burst into tears. Seems her daughter was to complete a mission 4 days ago, and M. hasn't heard from her yet. I cannot begin to imagine how she's feeling right now.

You know, my only child is a mere 2 1/2 hours away, working in a job she loves, and preparing to move to a new town for a new job in August, when she'll be 8 hours away. I've been missing her, since my schedule and hers haven't jived enough to see her since February. But that is nothing compared to what these moms face every single day. They deserve more than just a banner, but it's what I can do to support them. I truly need to count my blessings.

Nutshells

1. I am trying to get caught up on my blog-reading AND commenting so you will know I really, really like you and do visit! (Yes, I watched the Oscars last night!)

2. Tandi is over whatever that was last week, either lingering effects of the anesthesia, or the pain med, not sure which. Thank goodness!

3. DD, a certified cat person, came home for the weekend, bringing her new, rescued chihuahua-mix puppy for us to meet. What a HOOT! We had to separate the two dogs once in a while, but watching them interact was endlessly entertaining. Tandi was surprisingly jealous at times, and would put Isabella in her place. Normal dog behavior, but Tandi has always been so easily startled and shy, it was unexpected.

Did I mention Bella is a "talker"?




4. I am in the middle of 5 nights off and loving it! Trying to work on taxes (boo, hiss) and DD's string quilt (applause).

5. I have been wearing the C-PAP more hours each night than my therapist predicted, and no longer feel the desire to collapse out of exhaustion 5-6 hours after rising! There are some mask issues, but when I report in to my RT (respiratory therapist) on Wed., he will be able to tell if I need a different mask or if it's just the adjustment period.

6. My Compassion family has grown to 2--joined by Aduri, an 8-year-old girl from Bangladesh. My package with info should arrive in about 2 weeks, so I will be heading over to Staples for another 3-ring binder and page protectors in which to keep all her info and letters. DD also had some great ideas this weekend about paper items I could send Dalia, now that she is far past the coloring book pages and stickers phase.

7. It's supposed to rain and sleet again tomorrow night, with a high Wed. of 33F again, but the daylilies and hyacinth are starting to peek above the ground. I need to separate some of the daylilies, as they are way too crowded for that small space, but it's still too cold to work in the yard for very long. Oh, but spring is coming!

Photos later!