Everyone has a person, or people, that tend to invoke a plethora of memories. WHEW! Talk about cranking out the thesaurus for the big words today with that statement... ha ha ha! Okay, okay, okay.... enough of the rambled and jumbled segues into other areas of thought today.
(Note to self: just get to the darn point and not scatter the blogging flow.)
Just the other day, it was Veterans Day. A day to remember and reflect upon those that chose to make sacrifices for the greater good of the country. I am pretty sure that everyone can think of at least one person that served time in the military. It could be the Army, Navy, Air Force, or even the Marines Their capacities can range from reservists to career military, from office work to fighting on the front lines. It really does not matter what you choose to focus on, but we can safely say that there is at least one person you knew that served. Some are graced with being brought back to their families alive, while some sadly, were not. In the grand scheme of things.... war is Hell and only the truly strong of mind and body manage to survive the experience. Not saying that those that were injured or killed were any less strong, but it takes a different kind of strength to overcome the brutality of war.
While taking the time to fondly remember people that have touched my life that happen to have been far braver and stronger that I could ever possibly be, I grasped onto a bit of information that was just presented to me over the past week or so before this day of remembering came about. It was a service that I never got to see first hand that assists the injured, and not just the physically injured, either. It is the journey from military experience to the experiences of non military life. The mental anguish of seeing loss of life first hand and the insecurities of feeling safe. Some may call it PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), but others see it as trying to separate the bad from the good. The bad, being the danger of war and the threats to life it possesses. The good is waking up to see another day. Sadly, even the knowledge of living another day can be hard on a person when someone close to them did not get blessed with that same fate. Military families are just that.... families. Their bond is beyond blood, but is in some ways connected through blood. They stand tall and fight a good fight together. Their connection is indescribable. Witnessing the light leaving a fellow soldier's eyes is capable of knocking even the most physically strongest to their knees. While I can go on with this descriptive thought (or perception in my opinion), I would be missing the point of this blog, so I will march on....
What I learned recently was at a fundraiser for assistance to our injured military. Now, when I think of injured military, I think of those commercial ads that ask for donations to The Wounded Warrior Project. You know the ones I am talking about, but if you don't.... it is for military personnel that lost an arm, leg, or suffer from a brain injury. The visual scars of the dangers these brave men and women took. What I did not seem to acknowledge were the ones that suffer mental scars. It was not because I wasn't aware of what PTSD was, or even know what anxiety or depression are all about. Believe me... I am fully aware. I battle with anxiety on a daily basis. I suffer with bouts of depression that make me cut myself off from social situations. While I know that mental disorders are not visible to the naked eye, it was a curiosity that spurned me into looking at what is being done for these internally scarred warriors. I found one of the answers at that fundraiser. It is called Kare9.
Kare9 is a service that provides therapy dogs to assist in treating those hidden scars from war. These dogs are trained to bring calm to the chaos and I met two of these angels just recently. Their names are Flex and Susie. Both are golden retrievers. Understanding the way this service helps these selfless warriors is something I can truly appreciate. As I stood and talked with their handlers, both are veterans, I did not realize that my stresses of the day earlier were easily seen by these two dogs. Their calming presence was heightened when Flex leaned against my leg. Just being close brought my hand to his fur and the calming sensation of softness and strength, eased my frazzled nerves. You see, as I stated earlier, I battle with anxiety on an almost daily basis. I have my good days, but I have my bad ones, too. I do my best to keep moving, but there are times I just prefer to be left alone with nothing to do except read another book on my Kindle or play a game on my phone. That day I met Flex and Susie, I was having one of those days that I wanted to go hide in my reading, but I left work to at least make an appearance of support to a cause that I believe in and that my older brother helps promote. It's an annual thing and I haven't been there the previous year and I felt bad about that. Doing my best to trudge over my little panic attacks for being farther than a 5 minute ride from home is what I did to make my appearance. Needless to say.... Flex and his heightened ability to sense my discomfort did what he is trained to do and that just blew my mind... just a little. Then, as the handler for Susie saw me sit down, Susie hopped onto my lap to let me give a much needed hug of thanks. Tears were threatening to flow freely from my eyes at the intelligence and strength of purpose to bring calm to people. That just totally blew my mind.
From battle lines in other countries to the struggles at home, it is rarely ever seen that dogs play such a strong role in both. The silent and stoic creature that does their job, and does it well. The respect that should be placed before them, never screamed from mountaintops, nor given a day of their own, but appreciated nonetheless.... I can say that I have another person, or better yet - a dog, to be thankful for and to never be forgotten. From dogs that offer therapy, to dogs that sniff out danger, to dogs that take the very front of the battle lines.... Thank You! You are now a permanent member of the list of people that offer good memories to recall upon when I need them.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!!
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