Being a supportive spouse when you’re loved one is in the active duty military is not for the faint of heart. When you’re loved one is deployed during the holidays it becomes even more challenging. I well remember the months my Dad’s National Guard unit was deployed for Desert Storm. He was called to active duty the week of Thanksgiving …
3 Ways to Thank a Veteran
Today is Veteran’s Day. Maybe you’ve noticed more ads (at least during football) that are actively thanking those who serve. There will be community events and more all in an effort to honor the many men and women who have lived and served throughout the wars this country has experienced. While many graves will be decorated, it is also a …
Cheer for the Children: Tips to Give a Military Kid a Merry Christmas
Christmas is hard when Dad or Mom is deployed, and providing support, strong connections to the deployed parent, and a solid sense of family tradition can help the child feel loved and secure. There are two sets of tips—for parents of military children, and for civilians who want to bless military kids in the community.
6 Ways to Spread Love This Holiday Season to Military Spouses
I remember all too well the challenges that my family faced when my dad’s National Guard unit was called to active duty for Operation Desert Storm. I was 16 when my dad got activated — two days before Thanksgiving. But I was 17 when he returned right around Easter. I didn’t recognize my dad — might have had something to …
BOGO: Books for the Military
I am so very excited about a promotion my publisher is running for Where Treetops Glisten. I knew Waterbrook/Multnomah was a great house to write for, but this promotion just sealed it for me. We’re partnering with you as readers in an exciting opportunity to buy a copy of Where Treetops Glisten and then the publisher will send one of five books to someone currently serving in the military.
Memorial Day and 3 Ways to Honor Veterans
On May 30, 1868, a group of Union veterans held the first Decoration Day (now called Memorial Day). They picked that day because they believed that flowers would be in bloom around the country. The purpose of Decoration Day? To honor and remember the men who fought and died on both sides of the Civil War. This weekend Memorial Day …
I Spent the Weekend with Heroes
This weekend I had the incredible honor of attending the Eleventh Armored Division’s final reunion. These veterans were sent to Europe just in time to participate in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, and part of the division rode in the three vehicles that liberated Mauthausen Concentration Camp in Austria. I spent the weekend with heroes. Even today, …
Thank you, Veterans and Active Military!
Sunday, one of the men in our church who served in Korea shared pictures and stories of his experience. It was incredibly moving. And as his wife whispered to me, he was quite a hunk in those photos. Today as we celebrate Veteran’s Day, I want to say thank you to the men like Porter and my father who have …