PATSY'S POCKETS OF PEACE

FROM A TADSAW WOUNDED WARRIOR...

"reposting is fine with me......"there is so much that needs to be said for others to understand that ultimately we are not weak, we are simply misunderstood. not long ago a vet from our area went into subway and killed some people, he had ptsd. i was left wondering, where has our country's patriotism gone? why didn't he get the help he needed? i hear all the time people "say" they want to help - but then there seems very little if any follow-up. when i was in the womens center at palo alto for ptsd i spent the ENTIRE time trying to convince them that i was not lying and then was discharged against medical advise. we don't need shrinks, we need mercy, and acceptance, and understanding. obviously my situation is markedly different from the man who opened fire. however, in principle it all seems the same to me. we walk around with the combat experience alive and well in our hearts and somtimes i think that if people could see what goes on in my head they would run away screaming. we all have our tramas in life, but it seems that if we know that someone or something, a dog, will love us anyway we have a better chance of some sort of "normalcy" i think it is time for everyone who enjoys their freedoms that this country offers to start giving real recognition to thoses who actively fight for it. we are not asking for worship, just kindhearted understanding."

*****

WHISPERING, Manny and Gracie a TADSAW AMBASSADOR THERAPY DOG, exchange words we will never know. Nor do we need to. Gracie is completely blind and sees with her heart. She has an exceptional way of reaching the hearts of our wounded warriors. They understand. She understands. That is all that is necessary.

The normalcy we most all are blessed with is taken for granted. It was more than evident yesterday.

I attended a Lavender Fest in the small Texas town of Blanco, just 30 minutes north of San Antonio. The lavender fields were in full blossom and people strolled the grounds of the old courthouse on the square in the center of this tiny town.  Life seemed different somehow. In spite of the heat and the huge crowds, all seem a bit surrreal to me.  People wondered booth to booth and table to table, admiring and most of the time purchasing, handcrafted items from lavender lotions and potions to angels made from various rocks and stone, and hand crafted apparel.  It was hot and shade was a welcome commodity. Lavender Lemonade was fragrant and refreshing.  Husbands stood in the shade, shifting their weight from one foot to the other, patiently waiting for their wives, or perhaps merely tolerating this female ritual.

As we strolled, and yes made a few purchases, I wondered how many of those hundreds and hundreds of people actually realized how blessed they are.  How many warriors are in harm's way, dying, fighting, and thousands struggling to regain a sense of normalcy in their lives after returning from the hell of war.

So as I look at the little stone angel I purchased that is sitting on my desk with the American flag I placed next to her ~ a flag a returning warrior handed to me years ago from his uniform ~ I shall think of them, and pray for them, and know what they are sacrificing so that we may wander around a little town looking at lavender and purchasing things we neither want nor most likely need.  But have the luxury of doing so because of their sacrifices.

So on this Sunday, I invite you to read and re-read the warriors words above and absorb what is being expressed.  Thousands feel the same.  Thousands suffer and struggle and isolate themselves from a world that is alien to them and full of danger.
A world they fought for and is no longer accessible to them because of PTSD and TBI.

 What wouldn't they do to wonder around a festival grounds with their family! 

This morning I received an email from a warrior that is coming in a very few weeks to begin training with his service dog.  He excitedly exclaimed that the dog is already working for him, for he had gotten up the courage to venture to a store and buy a couple of more shirts.  This may not seem like much to you...but trust me it was HUGE! To go into public where you fear snipers, and IED's around every corner is a very big deal.  His journey to freedom has just begun.  He fought for our freedom...now we have to recognize his freedom has been jeopardized and lost somewhere in this journey.  We need to remember and help and pray for them.  For they are fragile and need their angels to look over them.  And in his case a dog named 'Charlie' who will help guide him out of the darkness.

Have a beautiful Sunday!