28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 13 - Freedom

Veteran's Day used to be just another day on the calendar for me.  I am ashamed to admit that.  Some years I would even curse the fact that there was no school and I needed to arrange for a back-up child care arrangement for Nick.  This year was different and every year going forward will be different too.

 

This year we truly began to understand what Ed's military career meant to him. At one point he was at the hospital with Bernie.  One of the nurses figured out that he was a veteran and thanked him for his service.  That simple display of gratitude made Ed's day. 

 

Ed's wishes for his funeral were simple.  He wanted red roses and to be buried with military honors.  We were able to fulfill both requests.  I had seen military funerals on television, but I had never witnessed one first hand.  It was incredibly moving - all of it - from the playing of taps, to the folding of the flag and handing it to Bernie's mom, to the firing of the three volleys.   Steeped in formality and tradition, it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed.

 

The military wasn't something Ed talked about very often.  Unfortunately we don't know much about the 20+ years he spent in the Navy.  I'm hoping at some point maybe his brother or someone he served with will be able to fill in the gaps.

 

 

If you have a veteran in your family, I encourage you to get the details of their stories while it is still possible.  Case in point: my cousin found this awesome picture of my grandfather from when he was in the Navy, posted it on Facebook on Monday and thanked him for his service.  Not posting the story behind the photo, led to some of my other cousins questioning what he did in the Navy, where he was, whether he was a pilot, and why the plane seemed to be named after him at least in part.  Fortunately for us my grandfather was able to answer all of those questions.

 

My grandfather, Phillip Reifschneider, who is every bit as handsome today as he was in that picture, was a plane captain, not a pilot. Rip was a nickname, short for Reifschneider. They put the names of the plane captains on the planes they worked on.  He isn't sure why it was done that way but it was.  The marks on the plane represent the number of missions that the plane flew.  He was on the aircraft carrier, USS Philippine Sea during the Korean War.

 

I get goosebumps now when I see uniformed military personnel on my flights.  I hope they are going home to their families.  When I can do so without seeming like a lunatic, I ask them where they are headed and what their work entails.  I make it a point to thank them for their service.  To Ed, to Grandpa, and to my veteran friends that are reading this blog: thank you for your service.

 

Our servicemen and women make incredible, selfless sacrifies every single day in order to protect our freedom, for that I am thankful, and not just on Veteran's Day.

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 12 - Food

Oftentimes I come back from New Orleans with five extra pounds and a hangover. Many people would say both are signs of a good trip. I'm happy to report that I only gained two pounds this time, and I did not have a hangover as I boarded the plane to come home. Yeah for small miracles!

There seem to be endless options for food in our country: restaurants, fast food, grocery stores, frozen food, and millions of recipes if you are the type that likes to cook. What I am most thankful for  is that fact that my kids are nourished. Jack is an extremely picky eater. His go-to meal is PB&J. It frustrates me to no end that the boy does not eat, but at least his consumption or lack there of, is his choice.

The number of hungry people in the world, particularly children, weighs heavily on my mind during the holiday season. The pictures coming back from the Phillipines are unbearable. I can't fathom waking up one morning to whole cities flattened. Parents are left with no resources to provide for the basic needs of those who depend on them the most. It's just awful.

There are plenty of ways to help both here and overseas. If everyone does a little something, then cumulatively we can make a big difference. 

We finally met our new niece tonight.  She is adorable. Here she is with Jack:

Tonight I am very thankful that my kids, and little Alex, are going to sleep with full bellies.

28 Days of Thankfulness - Catching Up

Bernie's 40th birthday present from me was a trip to New Orleans to see the Cowboys play the Saints.  I've tried to disconnect from most things the last 4 days, now as we are flying en route to Hartford, it is time to begin re-entry. 

Day 8 - Our Moms

I am thankful for our moms generally, and also that they volunteered to spend a few days with Nick, Jack, Vivi and Jenny. Bernie was able to have a well deserved break from mediating fights, changing diapers, and cooking meals. Without our moms, there is just no way this would have been possible. 

Day 9 - Nick

I am so thankful that Nick was able to help both of our moms take care of the Jack and Vivian. He is a huge help and was able to comfort Vivian when she was missing us. He is a wonderful big brother.

Day 10 - Friends

We are so lucky to be surrounded by so many awesome friends. I am thankful for all of you and thankful that we got to spend some time with a few of you over the last few days.

Day 11 - Jack and Vivian

Being away just makes you appreciate your kids all the more. I can't wait to walk in the door and hug them (Nick too). 

While not a big fan of the party atmosphere of Bourbon Street and to some extent even the Superdome, Bernie has a new appreciation for the artistic culture and the food. New Orleans remains one of my favorite southern cities.

I heard that snow may have fallen across Connecticut this morning. I'll be thankful if it all melts by the time we land!

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 7 - Coffee

This crazy, busy week has been sponsored by coffee and Diet Coke.  Tonight I am thankful for caffeine and my pillow.

Sleep tight!

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 6 - Failure

As you might imagine, in the course of my job, I meet an awful lot of interesting people. Yesterday I was before a mediator who was about 85 years old, who had been in lots of interesting positions including judge, police officer, and mayor. He had a lot of things to say, but two things resonated with me:

"Behind every successful man is an awful lot of unsuccessful years." 

and

 "Don't quit before the miracle happens."

It was such a great message to hear, because sometimes I just feel "stuck." I feel like I am not moving forward fast enough in the direction I should be going.

Failure really does breed success. You hear about it all the time. Failure makes you stronger, makes you change direction, makes you consider lots of other possibilities that maybe you otherwise would not. Failure is a blessing in disguise if you don't give up,

Don't give up :-)

For every success in my life, I am thankful for the failures that made them possible. 

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 5 - Water

My run this morning was about 45 degrees warmer than yesterday (not because summer suddenly returned to Connecticut but because I flew to Florida for a mediation). For a good portion of my run, this was my view:

Regardless of where I am, I always gravitate toward water whether it is a river, a lake, or my favorite: the ocean. Today, I am thankful for water. I am thankful for water to drink, to cook with, to bathe in, to swim in, to play in, to play on, to run near. Water is absolutely essential for life, but yet it is another thing I take for granted. I just expect that when I turn on the faucet, clean, safe water will come out.

To be totally honest, I actually have a love/hate relationship with the ocean. I love to sit next to it, but I hate to go in. Who knows what is lurking in that water (sharks, jellyfish, etc.). Plus the water is often cold (see yesterday's blog for a diatribe on how much I love to be cold), or it is warm but you are cold when you get out. I am not a strong swimmer, in fact, I barely know how to swim. However, I noticed this morning that there are people who get up and surf before work. How awesome is that? I've never been on or around a surfboard but I think I have to try it at some point. I'm officially adding "learn how to surf" to my bucket list (stop laughing Bernie). 

Because no blog post would be complete without a picture of at least one of my beautiful children, here is a picture of Vivian this summer at our annual Hampton Beach trip (note to self and Marybeth - it's time to start taking annual group pictures. We should have started in 2007).

28 Days of Thankfulness - Day 4 - Heat

There are few things I hate more than being cold. Yesterday when I got up to run, it was 20 degrees. I shut my alarm off and went back to sleep, snuggled in my warm blanket.

My threshold for running outside is 32 degrees with the wind chill factored in. Yes, I am a wuss. I prefer the dreadmill to literally freezing my butt off. The treadmill I am currently using is at the gym near my office in Hartford. I can hop on at lunch. I have a treadmill at home but it needs to be repaired, again. It has been a problem from the day it was delivered.  We have a 5-year maintenance plan.  I think we are going to have to call for service every week this winter until they get sick of us and finally opt for replacement. The belt slips, the repair-person comes to fix it, and a week later the belt is slipping again. It is a Nordictrack, and it wasn't inexpensive. It is very frustrating. I got a ton of miles and a good three years out of the Nordictrack before it, which was a 1/2 price floor model. I just don't understand.

Anyway, I thought I was going to get out of running outside this morning. The temperature was exactly 32 degrees, so I had no excuse. I have all the fancy thermal running stuff that is supposed to keep you warm in even colder temperatures, but it doesn't keep me warm, not even a little bit.  My teeth were chattering as I walked the dog. I was a little warmer when I ran, but I swear after 35 minutes, my toes were frozen. Anatomically speaking, I just wasn't built for winter in New England, or technically even fall.

I am lucky though. When I get cold, I can decide when to come into a warm house and take a hot shower (although not too hot initially, I have actually burned my cold skin in the shower before - ouch!). I can make a hot cup of coffee. I get into a warm car, then onto a warm bus (usually), and walk into a warm office. I can put on a sweater and/or a blanket when the indoor temperature isn't quite  as warm as I'd like. I don't have to worry about winter approaching and my kids being cold.

Today, I am thankful for heat. It is something that I take for granted just about all the time, but that I really don't think I could survive without. 

For information on how to help Connecticut families who have difficulty affording heat, check out, www.operationalfuel.org or visit Operation Fuel on Facebook.

I don't have a picture for "heat." Here is a picture I took over the weekend that I think is really cute and shows some "warmth" between siblings.

Vivi is still running a fever and will probably need to go to the doctor tomorrow just to make sure she doesn't have a ear infection or anything else. It spiked a little under 103 degrees today. It is still concerning but not quite as worrisome as yesterday.