I posted this story last week on my Facebook page.  After hearing the great news about Sargent Tahmooressi’s release today FINALLY, I hope you all think about our wonderful military in your thoughts and deeds.  I wish our White House did.  Oh, and Army V Air Force today.  Go Zoomies!

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED ON FACEBOOK: “I had an interesting conversation just yesterday. I’ve been in a Debbie Downer mood for some time cause things don’t always go my way (damn it). Well, my hubby’s diabetes is so bad, I convinced him to let me sell all his power tools a few months ago. That’s not the story though. A woman had come by then and yesterday she again knocked on my door. Her husband is a Wounded Warrior and she remembered we had a bow flex that I said was collecting dust due to his joint degeneration and asked if I would be winning to sell it so her husband could do strengthening exercises as he lost use of his (3) limbs. Naturally, I wasn’t going to sell it to the nice wife of a Wounded Warrior so my son dismantled it to fit it into her car. We got to talking about what her life was now like being a caretaker yet she reminded me of my friend Kelle from East – always smiling and still amazingly, praising God and happiness.

I mean this wife had it bad. Her day started like mine around 5am but what she had to do in a days time was a lot tougher than my 18 hour days. She was also lifting my mood (I am never down much at all but the past few weeks have been trying), in a quiet way as we both sobbed about the worries we have about illness/injury meant on our children from a parent how we fretted for them and laughed about the endless wonderment that we never forget to give medicine out but forget our own, and the satisfaction at the end of the day was that our kids were happy or our sadness that they may not be. Such a common bonding we women experience, likely because we do talk.

So Jim and I always like to say, what we would do if we were blessed with good fortune? My life is nothing like this young wife who believes in sickness and in health to be never complaining and happy to get support from Wounded Warriors for her husband. How can I, one person only make this woman’s day happier for her? To put her first instead for just an hour? Anyhow, longer story shortened, a couple years back some one gave me a spa card. You know, one of those 25$ gift cards that I never seem to use. I dropped it off to her this morning. Told her she should get her nails done or a massage. First thing she said to me is that she hoped my family was doing well and she had a very close friend who’s life was tougher than hers but said, to sign the card and she would do the same and give it to her friend. You know, like pay it forward. I wonder, how many “friends” could you share a gift card to so that person knew you were thinking of them to make their day go a little bit better. Just for a time. No comments, no likes – go find someone who takes care of a sick one, or a mom who just can’t take it any more, or a remarkable mom who takes care of a special needs child and let them know, in some small way, you are thinking of them and want to make their load a little lighter that day.”