MICHAEL JACKSON "A LEGEND"

Michael Jackson gone too soon. It's hard too grasp the reality that the King of Pop is gone. I truly hate that we now are recognizing all Michael has done after his death. This is something that should have been done while he was alive. But instead of truly appreciating all he has accomplished in life we focused on the bad. I can truly say that I always believed in Michael. He was a true genius. He might have been misunderstood but there is no denying the fact that he opened many doors for people around the world. In my eyes he was a musician, dancer and humanitarian. He gave more back than he ever took. Michael, thank you for all you did while on this earth. Rest in Peace and I hope you will find peace in Heaven.

Understanding the War, military members & their families

Who would have ever thought that we would ever go to war again and have a recession as well? Our husbands, wives, sons and daughters are fighting for our freedom and coming back to us as a different person. No one can totally prepare the families for the changes they go through when they return from Iraq or Afghanistan. I know we were not even one-tenth aware of what our sons went through and the things they had seen over there. As they are not allowed to tell us everything we still try to understand and help them heal. While there are groups on the military bases to help the soldiers and their families, there is little or no help for the civilian (off post) family members. We noticed so many changes with our sons, both physically and emotionally. Though we didn’t want to send them to war, we had to support them. As a disabled veteran myself, I find it extremely frustrating to see what our soldiers and their families go through at home. It is not spoken a lot about, but why is the suicide rate up with our returning soldiers? They are told that if they have a problem to go seek help. But, if they do, they know that a discharge follows. They would rather die then get “kicked out.” Everyday more and more of our soldiers take their own life instead of seeking help. What happens to the soldiers that are left behind grieving for their fallen comrade? What about the families who are at home worrying about their soldier? Listening to the news, surfing the internet and waiting to hear if their soldier is safe? You try to continue with your everyday life but you mentally are falling apart. Who do you turn to? Where do you go for help? We found ourselves in that same situation. No one can ever really prepare for what’s to come when your soldier returns home. One day when we were out to eat, we ran into a young soldier who had just come back from Afghanistan. He told us to be very patient, very understanding and just listen. They have anger, stress, mental confusion and nightmares bottled up within them, just to name a few. They have gone from being our loving family member who was filled with love and compassion to someone with a short fuse and who angers quickly. Some will seclude themselves and dive into a fantasy world. As much as it hurts, you have to be tolerant and take “fits” with a grain of salt. So what can we do? We seem to have this belief that the government is bigger than us but that’s far from the truth. Think about it for a moment. There are more of us than them. Our military are supposed to protect and serve but how can they if their not mentally healthy? It is time that the families of our soldiers put their foot down. We need to organize civilian support groups. We need to get our soldiers help where they don’t have to worry about being “kicked out.” We have to take action now before the suicide rate gets higher. We need to fix the problems and support each other. Even for our soldiers who are not in combat but at an overseas base. There are many daily stresses they go through as well. Let’s reconnect families and America. On this blog, we welcome all who have questions, helpful links, comments, personal experiences and more. Together we can connect to make America’s strongest support system. As you write in, we will organize all the information for everyone to access with ease. Spread the word and let’s get help where it’s really needed.