Be Kind.

During the hustle and bustle of the morning, I always say to the kids (as we are leaving for school/work) "have a good day, I love you,  don't forget to mind your manners and be kind!" It may seem redundant or get old to them, but every morning we try to stick to our routine and every morning those words are said in the car.

Sometimes it is hard to be kind. We may have a bad day, someone may do something that irritates us (driving slow in the left lane, no turn signal, taking a parking spot we wanted), sometimes the phrase "when it rains, it pours" may even come to mind if you are having "one of those days," and it is just too much to be kind.

We have had a lot of people who have been very kind to us since Sam was paired with Memphis. In an earlier post, I mentioned the wonderful folks of Rotary District 6510. We had a random stranger pay for our meal one evening at Cracker Barrel. We've had people come up to us and thank Sam for his service and say, "God bless you."

Did you know that simply by being kind you can make the difference in the life of anyone you encounter, and even in the life of a Veteran?

I saw something yesterday on Facebook that brought tears to my eyes--well, two things now that I think about it.

The first: Gateway Warrior Foundation raised and donated $50,000 to This Able Veteran to sponsor TWO veteran/service dog teams. That gives me goosebumps. They have been such a blessing to many families, and to TAV. Through their support and donations, two Veterans will have an opportunity to fully live life and experience the joys of having a canine companion for life.

The second: Mrs. Maze's first grade class at Tri-C Elementary made over 175 buddy bags for Veteran patients at the Marion VA. I think the other first grade classes were involved, but that made my heart swell. Such a sweet gesture, and I'm so proud to know many of those teachers.

These two simple acts of kindness, love, and appreciation are just what we need in this world.

I will never be able to say "thank you" enough to the folks who helped raise money and donate the funding to sponsor Memphis. Simple acts of kindness, love, and appreciation once again...they have helped change the life of a Veteran that I love very much. They have helped Sam become comfortable in this world, in his job, and day to day life. These folks have also helped our family--we can go out together as a family, we know if Sam is feeling stressed or anxious, Memphis is there to support him. These people help Veterans battling PTSD.

This blog is a glimpse into our lives...and my hope is that by reading and sharing, maybe it reaches someone who needs some kindness and love. Maybe it reaches a family who has a loved one that struggles with PTSD. Maybe it reaches someone who has questions about a service dog, or knows someone that could benefit from learning about TAV's program and what their service dogs do.

Last night I talked with some people who care deeply for our Veterans, and who are supporters of This Able Veteran. I just kept thinking about how much I appreciate all of the support, love, kindness, and generosity we have received from people who are connected to this organization. It brings tears to my eyes...in a good way. Because it warms my heart knowing there are so many people who are willing to give up their time to support this mission of helping Veterans. There are people who don't even know much about TAV, or the reach this program has, and I hope that through conversation, this blog, and seeing TAV service dogs out and about, people can get a better understanding of what these service dogs do, and how these Veterans are living life with them.

So many people have been so kind..

A friend of mine recently lost his father. I was so moved by a post he made regarding his father on social media. He said, "please do something kind for someone else in his memory." Now, I never met his father, but from various posts on social media, and his blog, I do know his father was a kind, genuine man. Someone with a megawatt smile. Someone who never met a stranger and made people feel as if he'd known them for years. Someone who was kind...

If you are struggling this holiday season, especially with being kind, may I offer this advice? No matter how dark your days may seem, there is always, always something to be thankful for. This week has been rough with finals and work for Sam, finals for me, and the hustle and bustle of the week before Christmas break for our kids. We've been tired. We've been cranky. And, at times, we haven't been kind. But, we have one another. We have a roof over our heads, and warm beds to sleep in. We are thankful for so much. We had laughs this morning during our "morning routine," and there was a lot of love and kindness that filled our home.

Try to reach out and do something kind for someone today, tomorrow, next week...whether that's pay for someone's coffee while you are standing in line at Starbucks, offering to pay for a family's meal, leaving a simple note of gratitude for someone: be kind. You never know what kind of day a person may be having, so be kind. Everyone you meet may be fighting a battle you know nothing about. Someone may have lost a loved one, someone may not be a fan of the holidays...but even if you don't know the struggle you can always be kind.

So many people have been kind to our family...strangers, people we may never meet, people we know, and I am so thankful for every single person. Even if they don't know us, their devotion to helping Veterans has helped my family, and they gave us hope. I am so thankful for the kindness of the people at This Able Veteran. The work that you all do is simply amazing and life changing.  You have my heartfelt gratitude for the blessing you have given Sam and our family: Memphis.

Giving Hope

 That sweet little chunky pup is none other than Memphis. At the time of the photo, we had no idea the joy and happiness he would bring to our lives. We had no idea that "big country" would give us so much hope.

The photo at the bottom is from the Rotary District 6510 fundraiser, Giving Hope. I just love that--"giving hope." You see, the wonderful Rotary clubs from District 6510 helped raise enough money to sponsor a service dog---can you guess which dog that is?

Memphis wears a Rotary patch on his vest. It was sewn on before he and Sam graduated from This Able Veteran. At the graduation, we were fortunate enough to meet Lane Harvey, a past district governor and an individual who helped get several Rotary clubs involved. What made this so special is that our very own local Rotary chapter in Carterville was heavily involved.

Rotary serves others---they even have a "4-Way Test": "Is it the Truth? Is it Fair to all concerned? Will it build Goodwill and Friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?" We've met some amazing folks who are so generous and giving--with such kind hearts that they really live out the Rotary motto: "service above self."

How wonderful to know that individuals like Phil Gillespe, Jim Koonce, Brian Flath, Lane Harvey, Woody Almind, Dave Matthews, and many, many other individuals whose names I either can't remember or do not know, care so much about our Veterans and the work of This Able Veteran.

Through volunteers, donations from individuals and businesses, This Able Veteran (and Rotary District 6510) gives hope. How? By the donations, the training of the dogs, and even the volunteers and folks who help make the three-week training program for Veterans run, these people give selflessly of their time, their money, and they help support Veterans.

Did you know that TAV depends on volunteers and donations from businesses and individuals? They receive no government support, but because of the generosity of others they can provide service dogs, a trauma resiliency program, and travel, food, lodging at no charge to Veterans. Yes, you read that correctly: at no charge to Veterans.

I believe that a dog can be man's best friend. I believe in a healing power between humans and canines, and I believe in hope...I can tell you that there are Veterans who struggle with PTSD. They are afraid to go out in public, in large crowds. They can be overwhelmed with daily tasks, sometimes even having triggers at work. I can tell you that some Veterans want to hide and wear a mask because they don't want to burden or make others uncomfortable just because they have an invisible wound of war.

I believe that it takes a village to prep, train, and educate these dogs and their Veterans. Did you know that a $10 donation could feed a service dog in training for a week? Or that a $100 donation provides a service dog vest? Those small gestures, they mean so much...and they give so much hope...

Did Sam have hope during the weeks and months waiting to hear if he was going to be in the TAV April 2016 class? Yes. Do we have desires for certain things to happen in our lives? Yes, at times. Did we wish, pray, and plan at times for what our lives would be like with a service dog? Absolutely.

By giving hope, I truly believe that we can better the lives of Veterans. There's so much I want to share with you all about how much better things are for Sam. How daily tasks seem like a breeze at times, how Memphis can help if a trigger or memory comes to light...and I will. But for now, it is important to tell you all that we hoped, we prayed, we believed in a cause...and friends, I can tell you, this organization gives hope. The major contributors, like Rotary District 6510...they give hope...and because of the kindness of some people we may never meet, the generosity of people who believe in helping Veterans return home, life is good. Life is very good.

Our kids have asked us "what do you want for Christmas?" Now, as a mom that works full time, I could come up with a big list--a spa day, a pair of comfortable shoes, an iTunes gift card...but honestly, I have amazing gifts in my life. I am blessed. It would be so nice to bless others, as we have been blessed...

So, when asked, my answer is, "I would like people to donate to TAV. I want a Veteran to be blessed like Sam has been, and our family has" because this journey isn't Sam's alone, we are in this together.

If you feel the need to help provide food for a service dog, a leash and collar, or a vest,  or maybe you want to donate in honor of someone, consider donating to This Able Veteran. There are so many Veterans who have yet to really "come home" from their deployment(s)...there are Veterans who deserve a chance to have hope.

Please visit www.thisableveteran.org to learn more about the program, the people who make it happen, and how to donate.