2009 – Page 6 – All About Love for Guillianna and Elijah

A Visit From Sunny California!

Lisa December 11, 2009 0Comments

Dear Mom and Dad,

As you know today Great Aunt Nori and her kids all came to Michigan’s Winter Wonderland. I have never met my cousins Missy, Rachel and Noah so it is a special treat. Great Grandma and Great Papa get to see their daughter too! Good stuff all the way around.

Miss K, the campers and I are thinking of you and your mom today, and also Cuz Nanc whose mom has also surely been worried about her. Luckily we hear all is well, and recovery begins for the days events. Now for you mom and dad, your recovery from the Michigan cold begins. I hear you had a flat tire on the way to Camp Nana from Great Grandma’s tonight. Now – I have head Nana sing about over a river and through some woods, but never anything about changing a tire in the night cold on the freeway’s of Detroit! Thankfully Daddy and Mom are ARMY strong.. and you made it back to camp safe. If I had been in Daddy’s car I could have helped him change the tire. I am sorry you got cold. I am glad you both got back to Camp Nana safe. And really if I am being honest… I am glad I stayed warm. Poppy made you hot cocoa to warm you up, and hopefully we can get your tire fixed tomorrow. It could have been worse, or an accident so – really, we are all lucky… and all in all, we saw so many good things happen today. Safe flights, a nice dinner with the family, and Great Grandma – well she made me another cheesecake! Yum!

Now for my important question…HOW LONG DOES A BIRTHDAY LAST? See I know last Friday, was December 4, and I know we celebrated my birthday with cheesecake then… there was a whole bunch of Christmas joy with mom and dad, and now a week later… a birthday again… with Aunt Nori and Cousins Missy, Rachel and Noah! Nana says…. when she was small Great Grandma Sally said PRETTY MUCH ALL OF JULY WAS BIRTHDAY MONTH!

Nice to see that tradition is being carried on… if I do say so myself. I am not sure if Nana can handle one more animal at the zoo we so kindly refer to as “Camp Nana”, but tonight I got my first bear from Aunt Nori and gang… and it is spectacular! Aunt Nori’s kids had a bear just like it when they were small, and these guys come with clothes… and shoes… and best news… THEY DON’T SHED NANA! They don’t slobber, drool, or leave slime like Mr. Griff. Welcome to Camp Nana, home of snow… slime, dust bunnies that would scare the pants off anyone, and hairballs… big huge FURRY PILES! You little bud, who I will call “Miss Ranoah”, will love it here at camp until we go to our new post!

I loved celebrating …. and look you have your own Army I.D. like me! Cool beans! They will let you on base now for sure…..no problem! My army brat bear… “Miss Ranoah”! (uh, incase you didn’t catch this… it is Miss for Missy, and Ra for Rachel, and then… yep you guessed it Noah… ) and yes, Nana is that weird, but not to worry, you will get used to her…maybe!

I had a blast tonight, and was so tired from all this PARTY PARTY PARTY stuff. I hope everyone is having the best visit, like I am with my mom and dad. It may not be very relaxing and restful for mom and dad… but I am just sayin’ IT IS SMILE ON THE GREAT GRANDPARENTS FACES … that made us all feel so good today. Until tomorrow… I am as always, your BIRTHDAY CELEBRATING BABY, your Little Miss Adorable, your daughter,

Guillianna!

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A Special Poem to be Shared!

Lisa December 10, 2009 0Comments

Dear Mom and Dad,

As you know Poppy works very hard, and loves his work. He loves the people he meets, and has the opportunity to help. A very special patient asked that we read something sent to him, and it has been asked by it’s author to be shared. Today’s love letter is dedicated to all your fellow soldiers who did not get home to their families this holiday season. It is dedicated to you and daddy. Every day, not just at the holiday season there are military who serve and miss thier children, their wives, and their families. This poem is about self sacrifice. Whether you are in the military, you love some one in the military, or have ever had friend or family in the military…. you can relate to the words. Poppy says, you can find a hero on the homefront too. Those like his patient who sent him this poem. People who make our lives so blessed, and never ask anything in return. Thank you Mr. “T”. Your message is heart felt, and we all thank you for sharing it.

A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS POEM

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear..
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said “Its really all right,
I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.”
“It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ‘Pearl on a day in December,”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam‘,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile..
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue… an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall..”

” So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
“Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities.. Let’s try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

So when you go back to the land of Sand, dear mom and dad, please know that we will await your safe return, to the land of the free, and MOST OF ALL TO ME….. YOUR LITTLE MISS ADORABLE, YOUR SWEET DAUGHTER,

Guillianna!

P.S. Please travel safe Great Aunt Nori, and family.

P.S.S. All of the campers are thinking of Cuz Nanc!

P.S.S.S.

Ms. K… we also hope all goes well for your mom!

Nana also rec’d this very important tid bit about heros which fits perfectly into today’s love letter.

    You Would Never Have Guessed

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 at age 76 , which is odd, because he always looked like he was 76. (DOB: 6/27/27 ) His death reminded me of the following story.

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3- and 4-star generals at Arlington National Cemetery .. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here’s a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:

I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn’t know the extent of his Corps experiences.

In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions, Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima . There is only one higher Naval award… The Medal Of Honor!
If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.

Dialog from ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’: His guest was Lee Marvin Johnny said, ‘Lee, I’ll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima …and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded..
  ‘Yeah, yeah… I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting’ shot hauling you down. But, Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew… We both got the Cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach.. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men’s safety was more important than his own life. That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, ‘Where’d they get you Lee?’ ‘Well Bob.. If you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!’ Johnny, I’m not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew. The Sergeant’s name is Bob Keeshan. You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo.’
On another note, there was this man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat

After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.
America’s real heroes don’t flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.
Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.
Often, they are the ones you’d least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened. Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom.. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr.Rogers.

And for my Nana, anyone who loves kids, and holds their well being at heart – is her hero… Nana is all for seeing an end to lost human life… and all for making the lives of kids, and those around us better! Thanks for the great emails…. thanks for all the encouragement it means so very much!

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Hangin’ with Mom and Dad

Lisa December 9, 2009 1Comments

Dear Mom and Dad,

As I promised yesterday. I took today’s photo shoot with Daddy so he too will have lots to look at back in the land of sand.

I had fun today, playing and laughing all day.

I showed off my talents and yes I made my mom and dad love me even more than before…. just by being with them.

I know it seems impossible to imagine… but all you need do is spend a milisecond with me and my smile, to see, that I am absolutely your Little Miss Adorable and fall in love even more than the second before! I crawled, and even got myself up into a standing position. I bet it won’t be long before I am walking. Nana promises to get video if it happens when you are back in the land of sand. She promises to capture as many things as possible with the beast too. So you will have so much to look forward to in the days to come. Today a patient, Ms. Ann gave Poppy a very beautiful card. She wanted make certain Nana keeps up the photos for you and dad in the land of sand. She really did! It was so kind! Poppy promises the patient (and all of the other many family and friends who have shown us love and support) he will do everything possible to keep ‘us’, you me and daddy… connected for the last leg of this tour. Thank you to Ms. Doris for your beautiful card and well wishes for my mom and dad. Thank you Ms. Cherrill, for the kind holiday cheer, and Ms. Joyce and Mr. Paul for the amazing gift you made Poppy and Nana! There are so many who are helping all of us be strong… and soon… our time apart will be over. Come spring… I hope … my time at camp will come to an end and you daddy and I will have only just begun our journey.

It has been cold and snowy here all day! Nana has been a bit under the weather, but Ms. K brought her a beautiful orchid (among other wonderful gifts), that was so appreciated, and Great Grandma and Papa some beautiful flowers. Ms. Susie made us all dinner too! Add to that mix the photo below of ‘me ‘ being as usual, everyone’s LITTLE MISS ADORABLE, every one’s LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE GIRL! Once you see this face, you will have a beautiful and wonderful day, no matter what the weather, no matter what else is going on in the world… all you need do is look into this face… and we are all in a better place! All of my love, your sweet LMA, your daughter,

Guillianna! We are the luckiest aren’t we? Thank you to everyone (including all those I didn’t mention by name) for making life easier on mommy and daddy, and on Nana and Poppy as well as all the campers. My doll Kailan would say…” YOU MAKE MY HEART FEEL SUPER HAPPY! “

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Today is Tuesday and Letter #300

Lisa December 8, 2009 0Comments

Dear Mom and Dad,

We sure are having a nice visit with each other, I am showing you all kinds of thing I can do. This has been an awesome opportunity. I just can’t believe that you were able to travel so far to see me. You have given me so many toys, and gifts to play with. I thank you so much.

To all my Goldfish Mini’s who see my love letters, I hope you will understand that I won’t see you until Sunday December 13. My visit with mom and dad is so short – and time is limited and taking me in all sorts of directions this week. They have to squeeze so much into this R&R, and to top it all off Nana had surgery yesterday too… so with everything going on, I sadly will not be at Goldfish Mini this week, but all of the mini’s can plan on seeing me there next week instead. Okay? A special thank you to Ms. Kellyann, who called Nana! Nana had surgery as I said yesterday, and says thank you so much for your call. Hoping you will read this – and know we are looking forward to seeing you all! Your kindness and support has made a world of difference to us all and it makes my mom and dad happy to know that I have GOLDFISH MINI’S for friends.

My cousins from California are coming to town… and meeting me for the first time. I can hardly wait. My great grandparents from daddy’s side sent me an awesome card and gift certificate for my birthday, it made my birthday even more special to hear from them. A proper thank you is on it’s way… but I wanted you to know that I got your card and it was so nice of you!

Here are some photos of how things should be… and will be in the near future. I am only here at camp until April or May. After that, we are on our way to our future together… until then, we will have these photos to remember what is in store for us …

Mom and me ... crawling around... exploring! — Exploring TOGETHER!

I am a chatterbox today, and loved hanging out and exploring. I played so hard, and didn’t even want to nap a wink… for fear I would miss out on play time with both of you!

Daddy and I will have a photo shoot tomorrow! Then both of you can keep these memories for the next few months, while you are at work, and it will keep you going…and get you to then next day! I am your little spirit stick, and I am incentive to make everything work out so we begin our new life at Fort “Where Ever” TOGETHER! Until tomorrow, I am as always your Little Miss Adorable, your daughter,

This is how LOVE looks through the eye of the Beast!

Nana says, parents love their children more than life itself. That they will do what ever it takes to provide for them, to help them, and to see them smile and grow and live happy lives.

This is LOVE LETTER #300, AND NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I WRITE IT, that I AM YOUR LITTLE MISS ADORABLE, YOUR DAUGHTER – it feels MAGIC, AND UNREAL THAT I HAVE BEEN GIVEN SUCH A WONDERFUL LIFE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND PARENTS WHO LOVE ME BEYOND MEASURE!

Mom and Dad do what ever it takes to make my world PERFECT!

Guillianna!

P.S. I hope Great Grandma Sally’s surgery today went well…. we will give her a call tomorrow!

This site was originally written when Guillilanna was born. During her parents deployment and training, we would keep Guillianna in the Mitten. Then Elijah was born and he too was a frequent flyer to the Mitten. They lived with us on and off for nine years. Over the last deployment to Korea and during the past three years where in the kids lived with us for three consecutive years, the internet and this site was not really used to communicate with their parents, FACETIME was quick and easy. Their dad recently got out of the Army and they were relocated. We have not seen or talked with Eli or Guillianna for months. Last we saw them on FaceTime was May 2018. Last we held them December 2017, just after Christmas. Yet the reality is THIS IS NOT ABOUT just OUR BROKEN HEARTS- it is about theirs, ours and our entire family! for these kids who are so small and innocent, they have had a major change in thier lives. It is our hope that the journaling of our time together, and the and the new love letters for them will one day allow them to truly know the depth of love we ALL here in the Mitten have for them.

This site is also a special gift for our daughter, it documents all kinds of small details and images for her to keep, love and enjoy! These memories encompass nine and six years of the lives of her children! A true gift, that one day she may actually appreciate and have gratitude for. She doesn’t think of us as her parents at present, but maybe in the future, she will sit and reflect on all these memories, maybe she will see the love and dedication that she herself was given because of our love for her. If not, this journal, can hopefully one day allow Guillianna and Elijah to see and feel the truth, the love, and they will realize the amazing impact they have had on all of us here in the Mitten, and they will feel the love of all those who they spent their lives with, before embarking on the new journey they have begun. Friends, family alike have shared in nearly a decade of thier lives and all wish for the family to be happy. If it is a parents right and philosophy to “cut people out of your life like a kindergartener cuts out paper snowflakes” and raise their children to feel the same, this new set of love letters are written with the hope that in time the innocent will feel the love they HAVE always had, and the love they can ALWAYS carry it with them.

A Visit From Sunny California!

A Special Poem to be Shared!

Hangin’ with Mom and Dad

Today is Tuesday and Letter #300

You Missed

Happy Birthday Guillianna!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELIJAH❤️

Christmas 2023

❤️Happy Birthday Guillianna ❤️