Write It Down

I love blogging. It has replaced the journals I used to write in, but I don’t mind. I would rather type than write anyway.

Back in March of 1991, I enlisted in the Army for two years. I went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for eight weeks of basic training, and then to Fort Sam Houston for ten weeks of advanced training as a Medical Specialist, otherwise known as a 91B in MOS parlance.

My first tour of duty was a year with the Second Infantry Division in South Korea. I was stationed at Camp Stanton, which was an Air Defense Artillery unit about five miles from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a neutral zone between North and South Korea.

I had to do something to pass the time, so I bought myself a Brother Electronic Typewriter/Computer, I signed up for a correspondence course through the Writer’s Digest magazine and I started reading and writing. I wanted to become a writer, so with time on my hands, I started writing.

I wrote all kinds of things: short stories, articles and my diary. This was the first time I began writing about my life via keyboard and computer.  I put away the ballpoint pens and pencils and notebooks with which I filled a box or two, and I dedicated myself to becoming a better writer via my faithful Brother.

My Brother typewriter is gone now and sadly I can’t read those old floppies anymore. And that is one reason why the “old-fashioned” writing instruments like the pen and paper will never go away. If kept in a cool dry location, notebooks will last for a very long time and they will most likely always be readable. Well, maybe.

Janie and Jerry are Awesome!

As many of you know by now, our daughter Susannah was born last month. Her one-month anniversary was Friday in fact. And our friends and family have poured upon us such generosity; we can’t help but be so thankful.

Janie and Jerry, my sister and brother-in-law in Minnesota, sent Susan and I a package of wonderful gifts including a carved and painted block for Susannah with a special scripture verse on the bottom that had been near and dear to our mom’s heart. The scripture verse is Psalm 103:1-2: “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
Well, if you know me, you know that I can’t hold back my tears very well, and so the tears flowed. I was so touched at not only the gifts but the love that Janie and Jerry poured out through the letter along with the gifts.

Here is their letter:

“Dear Ted and Susan,

Congratulations! I wanted to send you something really special on this incredible occasion, so I had this block made for Susannah to be able to look at when she gets older and for you to cherish in years to come. I put a Bible verse on the bottom of the block, Psalm 103:1-2, for a special reason. Ted, since our Mom can’t be here on earth to rejoice with you, in her honor, I included one of her favorite Bible passages. Sort of as a way of reminding you of how much she loved and loves you and your family.
Our mom died just six weeks before my first baby was born. I remember the pain of not having her there. But God never left us! And he has never left you. Look at the great things He has done! He is good.
We look forward to the day when we get to meet Susannah in person.
Love,
Jerry and Janie”
Our birth mother died of breast cancer in March of 1979. I was only eleven years old and I was still not quite aware of all that was going on around me, including Janie’s own pain. All of my brothers and sisters and dad and the whole city of Cadillac were in pain at the loss of such a wonderful woman of God.

So I wanted to lift up the two of them, Janie and Jerry, before the Lord and honor them. They are two of my very favorite people! I put together a triptych of three pictures of Susannah surrounded by the gifts and the letter they sent us.

Gifts for your Irish Friends

Susan and I both have Irish in our background. Not a large portion of our background comes from Ireland, but we do some ancestry there. One of my dream trips is to travel to the Olde World and visit all of the United Kingdom. I guess we would have to make a choice. It is a big area. I think either Ireland or Scotland would be my first choices. I promise, if Susan, Susannah and I go to Ireland, we will bring back Irish gifts for everyone.