Update.

It has been several months since I last posted. I am still dealing with the unnamed situation that I mentioned in my last post. I have spent hours in reflection, thought, and personal journaling. It is part of an overall search for an azimuth to continue upon for this chapter of life. I ask for your continued prayers.

My work has more challenging than I could have imagined. Middle management is not fun at all, and rarely rewarding.

Change.

The last several years have been a litany of change: Army career ended unexpectedly early; moved to start over in a new state; the oldest child moved out on their own; forced to move out early from the house we were living in; changes in new career after searching for months to just get a job; and, two promotions within a year and and half are the big highlights.

Change is a constant in our lives. Some of it is welcome. Some of it is not. I do not know what change will occur in the next 3, 6, or 12 months on a national level, but I am going through another unexpected change in my personal life.

75 Years Ago.

75 Years Ago.

The men crossing the English Channel whether by boat or plane knew what they facing. Some had been fighting the Axis Powers through Africa and Italy in the years leading up to this day. They knew that the enemy had heavily fortified the beaches. Every inch of sand and shale would be paid for in blood and lives. They knew...

75 years ago today those beaches and coastal villages were overcome with cries of anguish, encouragement, and orders. The smell of explosives, spent gun powder, churned earth, and death was everywhere. But they did not stop moving forward. They could not stop moving forward. They could not fail...

The days that have followed since are markedly different from THAT day. There are sunny, warm days. There are days dark with rain and gloom. People from the world over are drawn to those places along a relatively short stretch of French coast. They gather to remember, to try to understand, to be thankful for the sacrifice and courage displayed so long ago.

If you still and quiet enough, regardless of where you are, you can still hear them.

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Looking Forward and Looking Back.

We are just a few days away from the 75th anniversary of D-Day. My grandfather landed there on that day. It took him 40 years to talk about it. 25 years ago I got to visit those beaches. I walked out as far as I could and turned around and looked back towards the beach. I tried to lose myself and feel what it must have been like. As much as I had read in military history, especially accounts from combat, I still could not get completely "in the moment." It was too peaceful. Too rainy. As it should have been.

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With the passing of Memorial Day I was reminded that while we mourn the fallen, especially those we knew, it is important to LIVE. That is what they wanted us to do. To live, to celebrate, to be alive.

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I Am Still Here. Why I Have Not Been Posting Lately.

Quite honestly, with everything that is going on in the world at such a rapid-fire pace, I think it is more important to slow down, take time to chew, swallow, and digest daily events. I have lessened my daily intake of news. I am still abreast of major stories, but I have allowed myself space to see broader patterns in play. No more rushing from reaction to reaction. I am setting my own pace.

A Different Thought About The Pro-Abortion Bills Around The Country.

This is my take on the whole sudden rush, whack-a-mole style, of the passed and introduced abortion and infanticide bills in various states.

One word.

Be First, Not Right. Other Quick Thoughts.

A couple of quick thoughts:

1) The MSM has really showed how much they have bought into their mantra of report first, maybe worry about accuracy later. Of course they have done that since election night 2016, but I digress. The latest of course is the story of the Native American being "mocked" by teenagers wearing MAGA hats. Talking heads breathlessly recounted the edited version of the video, which, when the complete video is viewed shows a completely different reality to the story. But what is new? They certainly are not.

We Are Live...Five Years On.

Five years ago I posted this:

We Are Live...

It has been an interesting ride since then. I started this blog after an Army buddy suggested that I try it. We used to sit and have long discussions about history, politics, the Army, guns, growing up in different parts of the country, and life in general.

Since then I have posted over 300 posts and had over 57,000 views. We have loved and lost, moved across two states, and ended a way of life to try to start all over again. The world has changed too, yet remained much the same.