My teenage sense of self was crying out for a boost when my brother was invited to go on a weekend hunting trip and I was not. My pain spilled over into sadness, disgust, and clamor.

When my parents inquired as to the trouble, I explained how I felt, and before long something powerful happened. My Dad changed his plans and took me, me alone, to Loon Lake on a day-long fishing trip.

Please understand that my Dad was a busy pastor of a growing church. Saturdays are not normally good days for pastors to be out and about, because so much has to be ready for the big day on Sunday. But my Dad sacrificially gave his time, energy, and plans to care for his son on that drizzly Saturday so long ago.... Read more here

My post last month about poor support for military families struck a nerve, as I learned from the responses that I received.
LTG Rick Lynch, base commander at Fort Hood, Texas, heard similar stories from the wife of a soldier in his command. His response? He instituted a family-first program, including orders for every soldier on a day schedule to be home for dinner by 6 p.m. each night. Lynch’s plan not only helps spouses and children, it also helps create a more resilient soldier, who can resist alcohol and drug abuse, stress and suicide.
For more information on LTG Lynch’s new initiative, click here.

Time with our families is always precious. Time to refresh and renew, eat together, pray together…time to de-stress and have fun together. I welcome stories about how your family spends time together.... Read more here

Suicide.
A word filled with pain and fear. Sadly, it is a word that is in the news this year, as the suicide rate among U.S. Army soldiers continues to rise towards record levels for the second year in a row.
Today, CNN reports, “Fort Hood, Texas Base commander LTG Rick Lynch identified one major stress problem there: Soldiers were working long hours and not spending time with their families between deployments.”... Read more here

Summer in DC means hot, humid days and thunderstorms at night. Yesterday was no exception.

Just before dinner, lightning hit a large white pine in my backyard, splitting the trunk and shattering it into many pieces. The top of the tree twisted and tore off, landing on the ground near the still-standing trunk. The power of the bolt hitting the tree broke off another piece, about four feet high, and thicker than a woodsman’s arm, driving it straight into the ground nearby. So deeply embedded, it didn’t budge when we tried to pull it out.  Mother Nature’s power at work!... Read more here

Listen to an audio interview with First Lady Michelle Obama conducted by blogtalkradio … great insight into concerns of our President’s wife for military families.... Read more here