In Memory of All Who Lost Their Live and the Families Who Lost Their Loves - A Poem

I know that Memorial Day is for remembering those who perished in their service to our country, but I submit that there are many who came home and walk among us who have lost their lives in a different way. I wrote this several years ago after one such casualty returned from the sand.  

I pray for the families in both scenarios and thank all veterans and their families for their service.  God Bless America

Lost in The Sand

We were so happy when he came home safe and sound

Not a scar or a scratch could be seen

But we found later that they were there, just out of sight

And while his body came home, his spirit was lost

Missing In Action, a Prisoner of War

 When we drive past innocuous buildings in the city now, he shows us which ones would be good sniper posts

He gives us unrequested tips on where we could hide if we were to suddenly be under fire

And he drinks beer from the time he wakes up till he lays his head down at night

Never water, it could be poisoned

And never from a container opened by someone else

He doesn’t trust anyone.

His daughter didn’t want to see the differences in him

But his wife couldn’t help it

Especially after he woke her one night by punching her in the face

He hadn’t meant to hurt her of course

He was dreaming and the enemy haunted his dreams

Then she became the enemy in his waking hours too

Requiring more of him than he could give by simply needing him to come home

All the way home

And leave the sand behind

He never could though

So he left her too

He carries his wounds deep inside,

So far no one can see,

Unless they loved him before he went to war

Then they know

And they wait for him to return, all the way, from the sand.

Day 8- Struggles

Day 8 – Share Something You Struggle With

Geeze, this is getting personal isn’t it? I guess I can trust you though; right? Sure I can, we’re all friends here.

I’m not sure exactly what sort of struggles to write about because sadly I have plenty to choose from.

Physically, I struggle with heart disease, type II diabetes, and fibromyalgia. As bad as it sounds I am really very blessed because I have survived cervical cancer in 1990, a heart attack in 2013, and fibromyalgia for 19 years. But I have survived! And now, I am eating a healthier diet and exercising almost every day and I feel so much better than I have in years.

I don’t really “struggle” with any of that now really, except the fibromyalgia, which is a daily adventure on its own. Sort of like Forrest’s box of chocolates, I never know what I’m gonna get.

One of my bigger struggles is with over eating, especially when I am upset or angry or sad; basically, emotional eating or using food as a source of comfort. And the guilt that follows… oy vey!

See, I know that gluttony is a sin, and I know that wasting food by eating more than I need or even want is just wrong and sometimes, even knowing these things, I feel powerless to stop it.

I know, I know, it sounds like a lot of hooey to someone who doesn’t have any addictive tendencies, or even to those who struggle with “real” addiction like cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol but believe me when I say, the struggle is real.

See, food is the addiction that has historically been accepted socially. It is even fostered. Don’t believe me? What do you do when someone dies? You take the grieving family a casserole or a bucket of chicken. When someone is celebrating a milestone in their life, wins a big game or is victorious in some other way, how do you celebrate? Usually with a dinner or at the very least, a cake.

I guess the point is we all struggle with something. We can’t quantify someone else's struggle because we don’t feel what they feel. What is excruciatingly difficult for me might be a piece of cake (no pun intended) for you, and what may be easy for me might be a stumbling block for you. We have to find a way to be at peace with ourselves, then with others, because you never really know what someone else is going through.

Peace and love y'all-

TheWritingMommy