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Sunday, December 10, 2006
Went to dinner to a friends house and we talked, they had some good ideas which I will use when I speak in public. Also went to a coffee shop with live entertainment, what my sister who is wheelchair bound wouldn’t do to be able to dance. What wouldn’t the troops do that are sent home manned to be whole, but not only are they crippled physically they are also emotionally devastated. It is bad enough to be in a wheel chair but, to be in that chair with an attitude that is corrosive, what a horrible life. Max Cleland is in a wheel chair, but his attitude is uplifting, supporting, giving back; a lot of times he is better off then some of the troops coming home physically whole for on the inside they are more debilitated then him. God bless men like Max Cleland who gave their body and now gives all that they have left, they are my hero.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Last night I went to see the movie, Blood Diamonds, with a friend. For me one of the strongest or most emotional themes of the movie were the children soldiers. I thought at what age is it more acceptable to send someone to war, if there is such a thing as an acceptable age; what is the difference between traumatizing a 9yr old, an 18yr old or a 50yr old in a war? Maybe at different ages I am better at hiding my emotions or stuffing them so that I look OK on the outside, or maybe I am better at avoiding people and my issues? I had read somewhere that most people don’t grow emotionally beyond the age of 12, why is that, is it growing up in a dysfunctional family or because we as a society don’t recognize it? I think it is becoming more apparent and being recognized, now is the time to do something, what am I doing now?
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Was laid up most of the day because of my back. Set up a talk at the Ross School in East Hampton for tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Went to the Ross School at 8 am and talked to an audience of almost 200 teenagers. The teachers said it is not often when the whole group is quite for a half hour, every single one of them took a sheet I had printed up giving the names of their Congressmen with a statement of what we would like them to write. Students came to me after to talk, one asked if I would talk to her boyfriend who will be going over seas next month, another gave me a contact of his aunt who wrote Flashback (about PTSD) and a teachers whose daughter is a writer for Channel 12 called her to introduce me to her. I am so humbled and honored that they would listen to me and take it to heart to make the difference, thank you God.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
An old friend of mine called to tell me about a group meditation at a church, so I went; what was the worst that could happen? I called my brother and told me and I said I would roll in mud and scream at the moon if I thought it would help me get help for the troops; he said, you would do that even if you thought it wouldn’t help (he had a point there). So I went and we sat in a circle and were silent for how long I don’t know, then we shared if we wanted to. The facilitator looked at me called me by name (which I don’t know how he knew that) then he told me that I had a message to get out and that he saw a soldier standing in a dress uniform before me. Just another one of those mysteries where some people can know or see some things that I can’t. I prayed for what it is worth, at times I am skeptical, but what have I got to lose and what could it hurt? How many times when I have been in despair and no place to turn and I turn to the one I think doesn’t hear me? How many times have our children, the troops cried out in despair over seas then again at home feeling forsake by me and what ever power they cried out to? I hear there cry and I can stand by no longer and do nothing.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Talked to a friend in the hospital; how much what I take for being a simple act means to another. What a visit to a soldier in a hospital means, what a kind word means to some down on their luck, what a smile means to someone who feels no one knows or a listening ear to one who thinks no one understands. I remember those smiles, kind words, that gentle touch when I felt all alone, don’t stop because I won’t forget.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
When I had given the talk at the Ross School the principle got up after me and referred to the Movie, The Man who shoot Liberty Valance and the parallels of that movie to our goal. I had never seen the movie so I went and rented it and watched it, there where several scenes that got that feeling. One was where Jimmy Steward had just been tripped by Liberty, John Wayne stood up for him and then in the kitchen after the incident Jimmy said, nobody fights my fights for me. I took it to mean that he was going to do it alone his way and that justice would prevail and it was the way he believed it should be; being idealistic. Kind of like our troops going to fight what they believe is the good fight and coming home expecting to get a fair shake and do it their way. Then John tells him it doesn’t work that way you have to get a gun or leave town. Just like parents telling the returned troops that things don’t work exactly like they think they will, that they have to fight to get what they are entitledto or forget it. Another way to see that line, Nobody fights my battles for me, would be that the troops went and fought what they thought was for my freedom, they come home and I don’t fight for them to get them what is right. Don’t I at least owe them what is right or do I say , I never asked them to do it and do nothing.
There where many other scene where the characters represented different aspects of our society and philosophies that had parallels to what is going on now with the troops. If your into thinking, check out the movie; I see myself in different characters, where do you see yourself? |
