Reminders that life is too short happen too often and so unexpectedly.
Yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, a friend ran his truck off the road, through ditches, driveways, and yards, and into a tree. He was 29 years old and one of the most genuine and friendly people I've ever met. He was driven and determined, hard-working, the type of guy to give you the shirt off his back. And he always had a smile. I didn't know him very long and we weren't that close, much to my regret, but he was one of those people who, just by touching your life, gave you hope in the kindness in the world.
They think that alcohol was involved. It breaks my heart that such a great guy was lost on something that could have been prevented.
Please, I beg you, do not drink and drive. Do not think that you can handle it. All it takes is one. All it takes is your senses being even slightly impaired. The chance is too great, and even if you're okay risking your own life, please do not put others at risk.
My eyes are tired from crying. I'm at a loss. This was so unnecessary and senseless. Friends and family are hurting and grieving. Worlds have been turned upside down.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
New Year
As 2012 came to its end,
A year full of pain, heartache, and strife,I looked ahead and said “Amen!”
Hopeful of a new outlook on life.
Traditions
I read the article posted below today, and it got me thinking that this is kinda an awesome idea. There may be times, more often than I'd like to admit, when hearing things about military traditions and life leave me feeling a little sad. The last few years of my life have made me attuned to the hardships and the history and the everything that goes with military life, and it will always remind me of Matt. But the military is incredible, truly amazing. The sacrifices they make, the values they uphold (in theory)... it is inspiring. So when I read the article, I decided to do something like it for myself. Considering that Hanna thinks that I am more like Captain Kirk and she's Spock, I thought it was fitting. =P
Ships' logs start the new year in verse
(Some entries are great, others far worse)
Few among us can rival John Donne
But this is how it’s done every
Jan. 1
As the Coast Guard cutter Haddock
gently rocked on San Diego Bay late Monday, Chief Petty Officer William Hoffman
tried to summon his inner William Butler Yeats.
“It’s been awhile,” he said of
the last time he’d written a poem. “I’ll do my best.”
Sitting at a computer terminal,
he typed the Jan. 1 entry in the log, the watch-by-watch report of the vessel’s
status and activities:
As bells toll far and near
striking in the New Year
The Mighty Cutter Haddock stands
the watch at the Pier
Ready to respond to any threat
toward this great country
Fighting for those who rest their
beds all warm and comfy
This week, Hoffman and hundreds
of other sailors performed one of the most charming customs of the Navy and
Coast Guard. Aboard warships and cutters, the year’s first log entry is written
in verse. This custom dates to at least 1937, notes the U.S. National Archives,
where researchers pore over logs from World War II and the Vietnam War for
historical insight — and the occasional flash of literary inspiration.
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