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The things we realize once we’re grown

How many times have I said, “If I only knew then what I know now … ”

Jessie and I had a long talk yesterday afternoon about some of the kids in her class. She’s like any kid and gets the normal bit of teasing from the class clown who likes to poke at anyone and everyone within yelling distance, and outside of the bullying incidents, they’ve been nothing big. However, apparently one of her classmates lately has been picking on her because she spends her time divided between two families: her mother’s and her father’s. She told me that she tried explaining to this kid that she can’t help that she has to live this way, and told me, “She just doesn’t understand what it’s like for me. I’m different because of this, and nobody likes you when you’re different.”

Oh boy, how I can relate!

Luckily my folks divorced when I was very young, so I don’t remember my biological father at all and never had to deal with having to shuffle back and forth between homes. Unfortunately, Jessie doesn’t have that luxury. And while I have no doubt in my mind that she loves us all very dearly, I think she wishes sometimes for a “normal” family setting — e.g., one family, one home.

Of all the things I can help her handle — math homework, studying for tests, learning her way around the kitchen — this is one of those things where I feel powerless to help. I’ve always tried to show Jessie how much I sympathize with her by sharing my own experiences, and I hope that she understands that she’s not alone. It tears me up to think that for even one moment she may feel as worthless as I once did. I can’t feel the pain for her. All I can do is advise her as best I know how, offer lots of hugs and support, encourage her to share her experiences with me and her mother and father, and hope that she’ll see that one day that she CAN get past this and move on to better things.

And maybe, just maybe, those who have done wrong to her will look back and realize the harm that causes.

I’ve spent a little time the past few days catching up on my feeds, and PostSecret had an entry that really hit home when I was reading over it just now …

I think I’ll print that out and save for Jessie to see when she gets back to our house tomorrow.

Sunday sundries

A couple things in today’s PostSecret struck me.

Party Lines

For many years in the circles in which I participated, I mostly kept my political leanings to myself. I always justified it as one’s political views were like his/her religious beliefs — they should be kept private and only shared with whom he/she trusted. Or at least, that’s what I told everyone … for a long time I never spoke up about my own views because so many of those I loved would shun anyone who didn’t share their views. Most of them were far left, and I’m … well, not.

But those who you love and/or love you shouldn’t care about which party you vote for, right?

Yeah, I used to think that …

Supermarket Melancholic Meandering

My heart really goes out to the sender of this one. For a long time, I couldn’t walk past the cat food isle without bursting into tears after Hobie passed away. Even now, I still feel pangs of sadness, and I have to keep looking straight ahead as I pass, or pretend to look elsewhere for fear of breaking down.

Another soldier goes unloved

I talk about Soldiers’ Angels all the time. Anyone who has spent any time around me knows how much my volunteer efforts for this great organization means to me. I’ll happily talk the ear off of anyone willing to endure my pestering. Most everyone listens politely. I figure even if they aren’t interested in joining, I want to at least reach them and convey that no matter what side of the fence they are on, they must realize that our soldiers need our support — whether or not they agree with the reason those soldiers are over there in the first place!

There was one particularly group of ladies I spoke with, one told me that she wished she had my energy. I wished she had my conviction. She wanted to help out, but said she didn’t have the time. I used to think that too. If you truly WANT to help, you find a way, you make time. Helping out in SA doesn’t have to mean you spend a lot of money. Sometimes it’s as simple as sending a postcard or a letter to someone thousands of miles away that is desperately waiting to hear from someone, anyone, back home!

Not everyone can do this, I get that … but there are so many OTHER ways to help out!

Anyways, what prompted this little rant was the following image posted to PostSecret this morning:

Click to enlarge

It absolutely breaks my heart to think of anyone over there feeling unloved, forgotten, neglected. You don’t have to agree with why the troops are over there, but appreciate them and their efforts!

How many go unloved?

It’s no secret I’m a huge PostSecret fan. One of the postcards listed in today’s edition broke my heart:

From hearing from my own adopted soldiers, and friends and family who’ve served or are still serving, I can only imagine how that soldier feels. It’s got to be one of the worst things in the world — feeling forgotten, unloved.

I hope whoever that card was meant to reach got the message. But how many others are out there feeling the same way?

At the Magnolia Festival yesterday, something struck me as I explained to those who came by the booth about Soldiers’ Angels and what we do — there are so many here who want to help, but have no idea where to go or how to get started. I had a large stack of cards with the Soldiers’ Angels web address and our mission statement on them, and gave out every single one.

A few stopped to look at the binder of pictures and testimonials I had. One that the binder contained was this:

“Mail is more important than even hot showers or hot food. When I was in Fallujah, the mail center received about eight shipping containers every two days; three were filled with letters. People at home probably have no idea how much their little cards, letter and goodie bags boost morale. Countless walls around Iraq are wallpapered with cards and letters. Soldiers and marines especially love the cards from kids. There is nothing better over here than reading two-dozen cards from kids who can barely hold a crayon. If a kid sends a card, rest assured that card will be stuck in a wall somewhere, and it will bring a smile to many a soldiers and marine.”

- author Michael Yon, Moment of Truth in Iraq

It’s such a simple thing and yet it means the world to someone a thousand miles away. If you are interested, please visit www.soldiersangels.org and help us support those who are deployed throughout the world defending and protecting the freedoms we cherish.

(x-posted to Bama Angels)

To Frank Warren

Every Sunday morning, I:

• look forward to the new Post Secret submissions sitting in my Google Reader
• have a good cry
• have my hope of faith in humanity restored
• and feel not quite so alone in this world

Thank you for this.

~ Nicki

Hooray LOLcats!

My favorite source of time-wasting laugh-out-loud funnies, ICanHasCheezburger.com, has made Technorati’s Top 100 blogs. Congrats!!! :mrgreen:

Click preview for a larger image

(I normally would have uploaded to Zooomr, but at the time of this post, they seem to be ironing out a bug or two related to the Mark III launch. No biggie!)

I imagine as the popularity of that site progresses, “Mr. Cheezburger” himself is going to have to start shopping for office furniture soon, as I’d imagine that running and managing that site is a full-time job! LOL

Other Technorati Top 100 favorites include: Techcrunch, BoingBoing, Post Secret, Michelle Malkin’s personal blog and her very successful Hot Air vlog site, the WordPress Dev blog, LifeHacker, and so on and so forth …