it’s Memorial Day and the giggles have been temporarily suspended…
JUST IN CASE YOU THOUGHT
today
was about a 3-day Weekend.
Arlington National Cemetery Funeral Services;
SLUG: PH/FLAGSIN DATE: 05/21/09 CREDIT: Linda Davidson / staff/ The Washington Post LOCATION: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA CAPTION: Annual “Flags In” ceremony in preparation for Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery. Members of each branch of service place more than 250,000 flags at each grave marker. PICTURED: Army Captain Ed Arntson (right) salutes a fellow soldier in his company that he lost during the war. He’s in Area 60 of Arlington Cemetery where fallen soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are buried. He’s accompanied by Army Captain Bryan Ault (left). StaffPhoto imported to Merlin on Thu May 21 18:15:02 2009
With artillery smoke hanging in the air from a 21-gun salute by his company at Fort Leavenworth, the 500th Military Police Detachment, Army Sgt. Travis Smith saluted during the playing of “Taps,” during Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
I do not know your name–
Nor for which battle you died.
I do not know your home,
Nor the tears that were cried.
I do not know where you rest–
Nor the promises broken.
I do not know your uniform
And your fears lay unspoken.
But, I know your spirit exists–
That your courage is admired,
And your sacrifice is honored
By each soul that’s inspired.
And I offer you from my heart a
Thank You,
to guardians unknown
For offering yourselves for us all
That we may keep freedom…
Our home.
-Sherrie Ball-
hugs n’ blessings to all the lost (but never forgotten)
Service men, women, and their loved ones this Memorial Day,
which is meant to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for Our Freedoms,
It’s been awhile since I’ve taken a Blogging University Course at WordPress.com, but I am so verily excited to be tippity-tap-typing in my cyber-school classroom!
Because WordPress has worked with thousands of bloggers, helping them create the blogs they want and tell their stories – there are so many things yet for me to sharpen my blogging skills with by working with them again!
Blogging University offers step-by-step courses with manageable daily assignments and pro tips from WordPress.com, to help us grow as writers, push our photography skills, and more. And now courses at Blogging U. are available on demand, so you can begin whenever you’d like!
Currently there are five different courses available and after reading over the course desciprtions, I have opted to re-take one I previously enjoyed titled:
This particular course offers a solid grounding in the three big components of blogging: publishing, customizing your blog, and engaging with the blogging community. Because one of the items I would like to expand upon MUCH MORE is meeting more bloggers & supporting them in their efforts I decided this would be the perfect course for me to re-take at this time! I have found, in the past, that the best way to meet others is by risking to share myself with them as well. So I look forward to meeting others who, just like me, are daring to share a bit of themselves; whether through story-telling, recipe sharing, travel expeditions, or the snap of a photograph, in the blogging world one post at a time!
Our first assignment welcomed us by asking to publish a “who I am and why I’m here” post. For those of us who have already been blogging for a while, they still encouraged us to do a version of this assignment:
“…use it to revisit what you said when you first started blogging, to take stock of what you’ve accomplished and what more you’d like to do, or to lay out some goals for your next six months.”
And so I went back to whence it all began…my first “who I am and why I’m here” post, which you too may read by clicking on the link below:
As I reread this post myself I giggled reflecting on the nervousness I felt to be attempting something so foreign to me. Looking back I was truthfully very scared!
I have learned so much since then about blogging, about computers, but most importantly about myself. For I am far braver than I had ever imagined. And I’m far more at peace with myself as a result of learning to ‘risk’ with others by unveiling my thoughts and feelings and beliefs, even when it is scary to do so.
More than just learning about widgets (which was pretty cool) and linking (my favorite) or pingbacks (adore,) I have learned so much about Me.
I am adventerous.
I am silly.
I love to create fun!
(But I’m not very funny.)
I am passionate.
(About others & my Faith.)
I am loyal.
I hate lies.
I laugh at anything Minion!
I am sincere.
And I care deeply…
which is why I am hurt deeply
when rejected.
But most importantly
I love my Cuppycake
more today
than ever…
and my God
above All.
I have accomplished far more than I ever imagined when I first began blogging a year & a half ago, yet there is still more I hope to do. I wish to be more courageous. And I hope to use that courage to share my experiences and to expand my blogging skills. One of my first goals is to meet more bloggers!
Will you be the first?
hugs n’ blessings to all my new classmates & friends!!
it’s a 3hugs&blessings thursday and even though the blessings exceed far beyond the required 3, it is the perfect day to share this post because…
Today
the page officially turned…
with a tiny-tidge of sorrow & a heaping portion of joy,
the entirety of the Wedding process has been completed!
(However) this doesn’t mean it’s the last time I will write about it, as a few of you have requested information about particular items from that day; which will spill out like sprinkles from time to time…I promise! (Giggles.)
Over the course of the past several days we watched as the after-wedding brunch tent, tables, & white garden chairs were removed from our backyard. Cuppycake, our youngest son, and I picked up all the items from the Reception Hall and returned them to their rightful places. Dresses & a very suave tux were sent off to the dry-cleaners. Bills were paid, appreciation gifts delivered to our vendors, and today the final and last task necessary, to complete the Wedding planning/preparation/procedural process, was accomplished!
You see my friendly friends, today the Wedding War Room has been deconstructed!!
(Can you hear the sound of the Heavenly trumpets playing???)
“What is a War Room?” you might ask.
In business terms a War Room is a command centre which is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.
While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases. Simply put, it is a room (or facility,) where people meet and exchange plans, ideas, information, etc., in an active way.
In governmental or military terms it is a room where battles are planned that is specially equipped with maps, charts, and computers showing the current status of troops in battle and how they are maintained.
In spiritual terms there are War Rooms as well!
They are the spaces and ways in which we centralize our prayer efforts. Spiritually, we have three battlegrounds: our own hearts; the spiritual realm (against spiritual forces, and where God works on the spirit of others); and the physical world where we interact ourselves. Prayer engages the battle in the spiritual realm. And it prepares our hearts to participate in that spiritual battle. But it also prepares us to engage in the physical world. Prayer War Rooms help us to activate and intentionalize our prayers and monitor how they are maintained and through the grace of God, answered!
Our Wedding War room was all of this (minus the battles) and more, wrapped up into one centralized effort…storing everything necessary to prepare/provide for The Wedding!
Normally, this particular room serves to house our youngest son during his time home for an occassional over-night visit. But he graciously surrendered this space during the many months we plotted and planned!
(Rest assured there was still another place for him to sleep, should the need occur!)
And so it was,
month after month,
that we stacked and stored and constructed!
Neatly arranging everything
to be ready
for the Wedding Day!
But today
piece by piece
what little remained
I put away.
First I sorted.
Then sifted and carried.
Returned items to their former homes.
Placed what could not be reused/repurposed in the trash.
And collected a sampling of all important items to be kept for the new
Mr. & Mrs.
in a forever box.
“Until all that remained was just a tender reminder
of the only thing missing on that special day.”
-Said I to Cuppycake.
Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. -Romans 12:12
So with this last little item tucked safely away, (for another day when we shall play,)
the need for a Wedding War Room
was no more…
and in it’s place is,
once again,
a comfortable space for our son
to lay his head!
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
hugs n’ blessings
to all who have succeeded
by the efforts of what was activated
in their War Room!
And I hope-itty-hope and pray you too may find 3hugs&blessings this day!
hugsnblessings 