I used to tell her, “Pull up! Heel forward! Listen to the music!”
But on the Bonhomme Richard’s Facebook page we traded comments for a full month before I realized this mature young woman--married to a sailor deployed on the same ship as Daniel--was my ballet student--a long time ago.
“Did you used to take ballet at Allison’s?” I asked Karen one evening--glad she didn’t realize who I was until after we had stuck up a friendship; I was known as a hard taskmaster…though I’m sure the girls had a very different description of me.
She ran up to me last week, breathless with excitement and gave me a big hug.
She was leaving for San Diego this week, ready for the homecoming of the USS Bonhomme Richard and her husband, Adam Brewer.
“Do you want a kitten?” she asked, then she quickly laid out her plans for her husband’s return. I had a distinct feeling of déjà-vu as right at that moment, she reminded me of my daughter-in-law, Ashley.
After one last hug, she ran off into the crowd at the Seafood Fest, and I felt deeply thankful to have been a part of this young woman’s life in some small way.
I wish them all the best.
--Tiffany
Note:
For the last month, an embarked representative from the Fleet and Family Service Center has facilitated return and reunion workshops for crew members, focusing on returning to family, financial planning and emotional changes that may occur after deployment. The Reality Standdown provided additional information for possible changes and challenges that lay ahead for Bonhomme Richard crewmembers readjusting post-deployment.
But on the Bonhomme Richard’s Facebook page we traded comments for a full month before I realized this mature young woman--married to a sailor deployed on the same ship as Daniel--was my ballet student--a long time ago.
“Did you used to take ballet at Allison’s?” I asked Karen one evening--glad she didn’t realize who I was until after we had stuck up a friendship; I was known as a hard taskmaster…though I’m sure the girls had a very different description of me.
She ran up to me last week, breathless with excitement and gave me a big hug.
She was leaving for San Diego this week, ready for the homecoming of the USS Bonhomme Richard and her husband, Adam Brewer.
“Do you want a kitten?” she asked, then she quickly laid out her plans for her husband’s return. I had a distinct feeling of déjà-vu as right at that moment, she reminded me of my daughter-in-law, Ashley.
After one last hug, she ran off into the crowd at the Seafood Fest, and I felt deeply thankful to have been a part of this young woman’s life in some small way.
I wish them all the best.
--Tiffany
Note:
For the last month, an embarked representative from the Fleet and Family Service Center has facilitated return and reunion workshops for crew members, focusing on returning to family, financial planning and emotional changes that may occur after deployment. The Reality Standdown provided additional information for possible changes and challenges that lay ahead for Bonhomme Richard crewmembers readjusting post-deployment.
Happy Easter
From Terry Longpre:
A lone bugler plays taps at an indigent ceremony at the Sarasota National Cemetery. You may call the cemetery if you would like to attend a service in support of Veterans who pass with no friends or family.
_________
Around the military:
U.S. Marines provide security in a wheat field in Suji as Afghan soldiers and Marines patrol through the village in the Bala Baluk district in Afghanistan's Farah province, March 29, 2010. The Marines are assigned to Marine Special Operation Command Marines. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Pilch
U.S. Army Sgt. Patrick Audette, assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, passes by a herd of sheep during a dismounted patrol near Baghdad, Iraq, on Mar. 7, 2010. The soldiers are in the area providing security for polling stations 300 meters away. DoD photo by 1st Lt. Becky Bort, U.S. Army.
U.S. and Afghan soldiers patrol through Bibycott village in Paktika province, Afghanistan, March 27, 2010. The U.S. soldiers are assigned to the Paktika Reconstruction Team. U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Christopher McKenna
1 comments:
Your photos are so interesting. They make me feel more connected to what is happening over there than on the news. Happy Easter. Great blog idea.
Catherine
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