Memorial Day (post by Frank Somerville KTVU)
“If you are reading this, I guess I did not make it home.
I am so sorry I will not be able to see you grow up.
But remember, your Daddy is not gone.
I am in heaven now smiling down on you every day.”
That’s what Lt. Todd Weaver wrote to his little girl and his wife before he left for Afghanistan.
He was killed by an IED on his second tour in Afghanistan in 2010.
I just happened to stumble across his story in the Daily Mail.
And I felt compelled on this Memorial Day to post about it.
Lt Weaver actually wrote two letters before he left for duty.
He wrote them in case he didn’t make it back.
One was to his wife.
The other was to his young daughter.
They are both heartbreaking.
Here’s is a condensed version of what he wrote to his daughter:
Dear Kiley, My Sweetie:
Although you may not remember me, I want you to know how very much your Daddy loves you.
I left for Afghanistan when you were 9 months old.
Leaving you was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
You are so very special to me sweetie – you are truly a gift from God.
The best day of my life was the day you were born.
You have such a bright and beautiful future ahead of you.
Have fun.
Enjoy it.
And remember, your Daddy will always be proud of you and will always love you.
You are and will always be my sweetie.
With very much love,
Your Daddy
I told you it was heartbreaking.
And it’s the same with the letter he wrote to his wife:
Dear Emma:
Well if you are reading this, I guess I did not make it home and therefore, I was not able to remind you again of how much I love you.
Although I may not be here right now, take comfort in the fact that I am watching over you right now.
I am not gone and I will always be with you in spirit.
The memories that we have shared over the last few years have been the best of my life.
I lived a life that most can only dream of.
I married the perfect woman.
I have a beautiful daughter that amazed me every day.
Be strong for her.
Remind her about her Daddy and tell her that I loved her more than anything else in the world.
Tell her that Daddy is in heaven now and will watch over her and protect her every minute of every day.
Never be afraid to do what you need to do to be happy.
It is so important that you continue to find happiness in your life.
You and Kiley have a wonderful life ahead of you and I am so happy to have shared some of it with you.
I love you.
Your loving Husband,
Todd
This to me is why we have Memorial Day.
For people like Lt. Weaver, Emma and Kylie.
And I can only hope that Emma and Kylie have been able to move on with their lives.
While at the same time never forgetting about “Daddy.”
And I will assume that if you want to hit “like” that you feel the same way.
Here is a link to the entire article will the full copy of the two letters:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/Soldiers-messages-love-baby-da…
And here is a link to a page that was created to remember Lt Weaver:
http://1lttoddweaver.org/1lttoddweaver.org/Welcome.html
Turning Pages! (post by Paul The Ripples Guy!)
Pebble
You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens.
Mandy Hale shared by Elizabeth in Sheboygan, WI
Boulder
There comes a day when you realize turning the page is the best feeling in the world, because you realize there is so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on.
Zayn Malik shared by Hannah in Golden, CO
Ponder
As we launch into summer, this might be a good time to turn the page toward a summer adventure and leave behind the “stuff” that has been holding you back. If possible, try to mulch up some of the gunk you’ve been dealing with and put it in the ground to fertilize your future. Perhaps having a memorial service to say a formal goodbye could help make it a real transition for you?
It’s not always easy to let go, of course, so cut yourself (and others) some slack if this is particularly challenging; just remember that turning pages gets you closer to a new chapter with new possibilities!
Peace,
P.S. A quick nod on this Memorial Day to those who gave their lives in service to our country. Many of THEM sacrificed their tomorrows so that many of US could enjoy our todays.
5 Year Old Ryan
Post from – BellyBelly – Pregnancy, Birth & Parenting
“This is my 5 year old son Ryder with his new baby sister Summer the day after she was born.
Ryder had clearly been paying attention to my husband and I talking throughout my pregnancy on the importance to me of skin to skin contact when baby arrived, so much so, he asked if he could also have a “skin to skin” cuddle with his new baby sister so she would bond with him.
This moment will be in my heart forever. He is a wonderful big brother and she certainly does adore him.”
Sometimes you can learn a lot from a 5 year old
Post by Frank Somerville KTVU
Sometimes you can learn a lot from a 5 year old.
Like this little boy named Josiah.
(With his mom Ava)
That second picture was taken inside a restaurant in Alabama.
That’s Josiah at a table with a homeless man.
I’ll explain what happened next in a moment.
But lets just say that everyone inside the restaurant started crying.
It all started when Josiah and his mom saw the man outside the restaurant.
Josiah was concerned about him and started asking his mom questions.
She told him:
“He’s homeless.”
Josiah said:
“What does that mean?”
His mom said:
“Well, that means he doesn’t have a home.”
Josiah wanted to know:
“Where is his family?
Where does he keep his groceries?”
The man then came into the restaurant and Josiah’s mom says:
“He sat down, and nobody really waited on him. ”
And that’s when Josiah decided to take matters into his own hands.
He asked his mom if they could buy the man his meal.
His mom said yes:
“So Josiah jumped up and asked him if he needed a menu because you can’t order without one.”
At first the man said he only wanted the cheapest hamburger.
But Josiah and his mom said he could order anything he wanted on the menu.
He then asked Josiah’s mom:
“Can I have bacon?
And I told him get as much bacon on your hamburger as you want.”
Now here’s where the second picture comes in.
Before the man started eating, Josiah went over to him and said he wanted to pray with him.
And then, right in front of everyone in the restaurant, Josiah started singing:
“God our Father, God our Father, we thank you, we thank you, for our many blessings, for our many blessings, Amen, Amen.”
Josiah’s mom said it was very emotional:
“The man cried. I cried. Everybody cried.”
Needless to say she is very proud of her son:
“Watching my son touch all the people in that Waffle House tonight will be forever one of the greatest accomplishments as a parent I’ll ever get to witness.”
As I said at the top:
Sometimes you can learn a lot from a 5-year old.
Story courtesy WFSA
http://www.wsfa.com/…/5-year-olds-touching-gesture-feeds-ho…
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