Flashback Friday.....Soldier Boy

When I made James and Shel's wedding video, I wanted to use the oldies song, Soldier Boy by the Shirelles, but I was hesitant.

I didn't want to appear that I was making lite of the very honorable service that James had made and was still making to our country by serving in the Army. 

But after seeing the adorable pictures that Shel had from their long distant relationship, I couldn't resist.

 

I used the chorus of the song;

and for the type of show, the couple they are and because James is such a good natured guy...

it worked.

But here, today, as we have just celebrated the Memorial Day weekend, I am a little more serious.

I want to be sincere and formally remember and thank this Soldier for his service.

You see, a few weeks ago, Sargent James Rockhill completed his service to the U.S. Army!
As far as I know, there was no fanfare, no parades or press conferences...
It's just one day he was a Soldier and the next day he was not.
But seriously, if there is one thing I know from growing up with a Dad who was once a Soldier,
I know that "once a Soldier, always a Soldier," is a truth no soldier can escape.

I am sure if we could turn back time...and we could walk with him thru his journey, there would be many people that remember him for many different reasons.

The thanks might come from the lives he touched in his travels and assignments across the globe.

The thanks might come from the fellow soldiers he served beside in the hard times and good times.

The thanks might come from being able to be a part of his send offs and his homecomings.

This girl probably has a few thanks to offer him for sticking out that long distant thing

A fellow veteran might remember meeting him and shaking his hand.

You might remember and thank him for the sweet memories from this day

These girls will look back and thank him for being a good provider and a dad they can be proud of.

And there are the obvious things...

The sacrifice of his time, his twenties.

We thank him for serving and protecting our freedoms.

All of these things are remembered and we thank him

But we.

We, Vandercars.

We, Vandercars will probably remember him and thank him most for standing with us on this day.

I remember parking by the side of the road and looking toward that hill and seeing the newest member of our family, STANDING there. "Our Soldier", saluting "Our Soldier" 

The moment took my breath away.

And for these moments...of stepping in and doing us this honor

We, Vandercars will never, ever forget it.

Thank you for that day.

That service.

That gift.

The words "thank you" are not big enough.
But we say say them, none-the less.

We thank you and salute you, Sergeant James Rockhill!

Directions to here:

Keep James and Shel in your prayers as James continues in his job search and plans for what is next on their journey : )

Flashback Friday...Remembering The Things He Carried

There is a book about Vietnam called "The Things They Carried."

I see this book often.

I have never read this book, but the title makes me pause every time I see it come across the counter at work.

I imagine the title could mean many things for someone who is serving, or has served our country.

The "Things They Carried" could be the gear they carry.

It could be the orders they carry out.

It could be the personal things, letters, photos from home, or good luck charms they carry.

It could be one or all of these things.

When I see this book title, I think of my Dad and the things he carried during the war.

My Dad wrote this letter to his brother after being released from a  German P.O.W. Camp.

When I read this letter, I find myself thinking about the things they carried. 

And, I reread that last line...

"...but I hope to get back home soon, 

then we will celebrate and I can forget some of the past

I hope."

But I know he never really forgot.

And knowing this, makes that book title take on a new meaning.

For the things they carried....were never really put down.

For no matter how much they tried, how much hope they had, no matter what they did to forget, no matter, even, how good their lives turned out to be (and they knew they were the lucky ones), no matter what...

they carried those things for the rest of their lives.

So, here, on this Memorial Day,
it is an honor to remember what my dad spent a life time trying to forget.

Dad, we will never comprehend the things you carried during and after the War.

We can only say "Thank You, Dad for carrying them. "

Directions to here:

My Dad never spoke of the things he carried until much later in his life.

By the time he and we were old enough and open enough to help him carry these burdens, we had so little time left.

If you know someone who carries a similar burden, give them an open door to tell you about what they carry. If they don't want to talk about it, let them know the door is always open. Chances are they will spare you the unimaginable and unexplainable details...that in truth, only they and those who were there understand, but hopefully will appreciate that you stand with them....and offer "hope."

Flashback Friday...Moms in My Pictures

Hayden Moms...Mother's Day...2009

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this article since I posted it the Friday before Mother's Day.

I had my camera packed and ready for aiming it at my favorite mothers on Mother's Day.
I went to lunch with Janet and Darold and when I went to Sunday Dinner, I realized I didn't have my camera with me! I had left it in the back of Darold's car : (
So, I was camera-less on my "get mom in the picture" Mother's Day...how ironic, eh?

Anyway, the article was so popular that it brought about these responses:

One mom said she has 25,000 family pictures.

She is in 10 of them. TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND! and she is in TEN.
And she had to go back 2 years to find the most current : (

The article also brought about this follow up project:

If you are a mom and haven't read this article yet, PLEASE read it and hand the camera or phone over to your husband, grandma, aunt, friend and/or kid! 

They are pretty good photographers and it is great to see yourself as your kid sees you!

All of these articles have inspired me.
To take more pictures, to go thru my pictures......and believe me I have a lot....and to dig out the few I have of this current generation of moms...
and to show you what I see...your motherly love.

I love each and every one of you!

 (had to steal this from Alison, cause my November pics...are on the crashed drive and my other "mom in the pic" of Ali and the twins are still on my camera...which is on Darold's counter)!

 Proof that your kids can take great pics...

gave my camera to Tate and he did this photo essay of three important moms in his life!

Directions to here:

I challenge you....do NOT take 25,000 pictures without getting in at least every 500th one : )

Mother's (every) Day

Flashback Friday....Caption: Mom and Me.

I've been thinking about this post for a long time.
Mother's Day seems the appropriate time to work it out of my head and onto the page.

A couple years ago I broke into Sister Susie's house.

Ok, I didn't break in, but I was there and she was not.

Jerry didn't know I was coming (that's an inside joke).

And this time even Susie didn't know I was coming.

I intentionally planned to be there when they were gone.

The purpose was to go thru their family pictures to pick out ones to scan for Susie's surprise party and birthday video. 

I had put off the task of facing the massive mountain of family photos that are in that closet. I had been through them before when I did a show for Jerry. I knew it would take most of the afternoon to get thru them and days and days to scan them. I stood before the room, took a deep breath and dove in.

Going through the pictures did take me most of the afternoon. Photo albums, boxes, loose pictures, flipping through photo by photo. When I started, I thought I would walk away with hundreds of pictures of Susie with her family. We're talking 40 years of pictures here! But to my surprise at the end of the search I had way less than I expected...a mere fraction of a fraction of the total amount of snapshots that live in that closet. What I realized that day, is when it comes to most family pictures, Mom is M.I.A.
Mom is missing in action because most likely she is the one recording the action. This isn't always true, especially in the 40's, 50's, 60's...more dad's were in charge of the Kodak Brownie and/or the 8 mm. But in the era of point and shoot and now iphones, mom is usually behind the camera and/or the one getting the cake ready and lighting the candles.

Several months ago, I read this article:

You should read it.

Right now.

just click here and read it.

I'll wait.

So, I read this article and I immediately thought of this picture:

mom and me

I don't know if I've ever posted this picture.

To anyone else...it may look like my mom and I have had a rough day.
It looks like we are worn out.
It looks like we've both lost our best friends.

But to me, it is one of my very most favorite pictures.

It is my favorite because it is SO not posed, so common, so daily, so looking like it is us at the end of her very long day, sitting down to rest, to watch Carol Burnett and eat some chips. She probably wanted nothing more than to escape a little (maybe even from her clingy kid) and I wanted nothing more than to sit as close as I could to her (and eat those chips). I probably was about to ask her to clean my ear with a Q-tip (cause that's the only time we were allowed to use them) or to lay across her lap and have her scratch my back.
I LOVE this picture, cause it shows us on a normal day, doing nothing spectacular, not going anywhere, not even posing, just us being together.
I love it because it shows that I was once little enough to fit in that space in between her and the arm of the couch.
I love it because it shows that I was once THAT close to her.
That she...we...us...were real.
That those moments happened.

And believe me, now that there have been SO MANY moments that she has been gone....
this thought, and this picture, proof that those moments happened, is precious to me.

And after I read this article, I thought about Susie's picture collection.
They are few, but there ARE pictures...pictures like this:

And after I read this article, I thought about how many times...YOU, older MOMS and younger MOMS have set up the picture...
how many times you have scurried out of the pictures...
how many times you have put the kids in front of you or have sat them down and walked over by me and picked up your camera. 
How many times you've said, "ugh...my hair, my clothes...not me, get them."

Well, guess what?
Get in the picture!!!

I'm coming for you...and I'm taking your picture...

Get IN the picture(s) moms!!

Because the pictures we take today....
those pictures are their Future Memories!

And someday, a kid, your kid, maybe even an adult, who, no matter how grown up they seem, is still your kid;

That kid, will sit at a computer and pull up that picture of you and him sitting on the couch.

And he will look at you, his mom. 

And he will study that picture, every single detail, of that picture.

And they will remember you.

And she will remember your love.

And he will marvel that he was ever actually sitting that close to you. 

So, Mothers!
Give your kids their Future Memories!

Get in the picture, Moms!

Directions to here:
And Seriously, if you haven't read the article yet...go do it. It's worth your time. It says what I'm trying to say a thousand times better, because it's written by a Mom.