Monthly Archives: May 2011

May 31, 2011 · 8:33 pm

You’re a just a bowl of soup.

It all went down in the grocery store. As usual, I was in a hurry. It was lunch time, the boys had already followed me through Walmart without any major incidents, and I needed to get them home and fed and get the Little Man down for his nap on time. Luckily one of the shopping carts with the steering wheels was available, and I love those, because although they are a pain to push around the store (anyone else knock things over and run into other shoppers with those giant car-carts? I spend at least half of my shopping trip apologizing!) my boys are usually entertained while I shop.

Near the last aisle of the store, a few needed items in our cart, I was talking to myself more than to them, and I said, “I can’t remember what I need. Was it hot dogs? No, I don’t think so…”

Without missing a beat, my five year old says, “You already got the hotdogs, stup…” and as if the Lord God himself sealed my child’s mouth as he did with the lions before Daniel, my son stopped himself from completing the word “stupid.”

Suddenly our rolling buggy came to a screeching halt in the freezer section, right in front of the popsicles. I know he wasn’t being hateful. He was being absentminded, and without thinking, just about called his mama stupid.

My eldest son has a penchant for testing the boundaries, but when the “evil eye” shows up, even he starts to quiver in his Lightning McQueen shoes. I was about to start my scolding speech about appropriate words, with my warnings and methods of punishment all ready to be threatened and dispersed when he stopped me again.

“Oh,” he said in response to my gaze. “I was, uh…just, uh, calling myself a silly bowl of chicken noodle soup.”

I pursed my lips, attempting to hide my laughter. I didn’t want to laugh. I really tried hard not to, but I was a miserable failure. I usually don’t laugh at his excuses, but this one was pure genius. “Soup” being the only word he could think of that sounded even remotely close to “stupid”, he tried to dig himself out of the giant hole he had fallen into.

Thankfully, I was able to control myself enough to create a meager teachable moment, but I did a lot of fake coughing on the way to the checkout. You’ve got to admire the kid’s ability to tap-dance his way out of a sticky situation. Chicken noodle soup heals everything.

The Soldier Stigma

I am a military brat. I am so proud of the fact that my father dutifully served our country in the United States Army for over 20 years, including during the Gulf War. It’s part of who I am. Growing up as an Army brat provided me the opportunity to travel and meet people from various cultures and religions and have a greater understanding of the world from a very young age. My grandfather served in the US Navy, and now my brother is serving in the National Guard. It’s a heritage of dedication to service.

As a history teacher, it really gets under my skin when people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but I’ve learned to let it go, simply because I don’t think there can be enough holidays to recognize the amazing things that our soldiers and their families do for all of us civilians.

However, on this Memorial Day, when patriotism and gratitude for our military seems to flow from every set of lips, I wanted to take a moment to address a “stigma” that seems to run rampant among the civilian world. I’ll give you an example.

Several years ago I was teaching a lesson in my classroom and I said something about someone joining the military after high school. A student looked at me and with all seriousness said, “Mrs. Hale, isn’t the Army just for stupid people who can’t get into college?”

(DEEP breath. Do not hit student. Do NOT hit student!! — These were the words running through my head at the time.) I calmly explained to the young woman that if it weren’t for the many, many, many intelligent, brave, and educated men and women who have served our country faithfully, the United States of America would not have prevailed in the many battles we’ve fought since our nation’s birth.

Why is it that many of the same people who openly profess their gratitude for our service men and women actually believe that the military is a calling only for those who can’t do anything else?

And a career in the military is indeed a calling. It calls to those who desire to be better, stronger, and faster. It calls to those who are looking for ways to provide for their families while making a difference in the lives of millions. It calls to those who hold no college degrees, or are highly educated. It calls to those with a sense of duty and honor, and a deep-seeded love for the democracy on which this nation was founded. It calls to those who are braver, more passionate, and more dedicated than most of us could ever be. It calls to those who love to serve, who can be disciplined, and can respond and act within a fraction of a second. It calls to those who are willing to die.

Perhaps my perception of this abundance of ignorance about the military is misguided, but it seems to me that in my life, I’ve crossed paths with multiple people who, while grateful for the service of others, have no idea what the heart of a soldier is like. I don’t know why these people continue to perpetuate the myth that the military is the catch-all for the dregs of society; for those who can’t go to college or aren’t smart enough to do anything else. Wars aren’t won by idiots.

Thank God for those willing to serve, willing to sacrifice time with their loved ones, and willing to die so that we might continue to enjoy our freedoms. I continue to pray that those who enjoy these freedoms will at some point try to understand the valiant, wise, and brave heart of a solider.

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Filed under Just For Fun, Uncategorized

Tagged as brave, Memorial Day, military, National Guard, service, soldier, US Army, US Navy

May 26, 2011 · 7:35 pm

I am a writer.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4

Once again, God has taken my calm, “planned,” mapped-out life that is driven by my Type-A personality and given it a good shake, which never ceases to surprise and amaze me with results that are always way outside of what I could have imagined for myself.

As many of you know, my professional career began in the classroom. I was a high school History and Social Studies teacher; a career that I loved and would like to return to at some point. However, once my oldest son came along, I felt the Lord leading me to step away from my job and become a stay-at-home mom.

I’ve always been an avid reader. I can devour an 800 page novel in no time, which really sort of freaks my husband out. I particularly like the genre of inspirational (Christian) fiction, and for years I’d read a book and then think to myself, “I can do this.” So, awhile back, I tried it. Yep, I wrote a novel. A couple of them, actually.

After much prayer and consideration, I sent my novels out and with much excitement, signed with an amazing literary agent who is currently shopping one of my novels while I work on getting the other ready and busily create new stories to be published.

So, once again my life has taken an unexpected, wonderful, exciting turn. I am a writer. I am a write-from-home mom. Hopefully you will soon be able to purchase one of my novels at your local bookstore (or download it, for you e-reader people). In the meantime, here is what I need you to do for me: I would love and appreciate your support and your prayers as my family and I embark on this journey. The world of publishing is a wonderful, frustrating one that comes with many highs and lows, but can be an amazing place to be in ministry and glorify the Lord.

I hope to be the kind of writer that creates not only inspirational historical and contemporary fiction, but brings a little reality to the world of cookie-cutter, predictable fiction. There are some amazing authors out there, and I hope to one day be blessed enough to be among them. Until then, please continue to support my blog, follow me on Twitter, follow me on Facebook, and let your friends know about the things I’m writing here.

Thanks!!
xoxo
~Jennifer K. Hale

*PS- I hope this news now explains to many of my friends and family why I seem to be at my computer so much. It’s not because I have hours to goof around on facebook (ha!). It is, of course, because I’m writing whenever possible. Thanks for your support!

*PPS (or is it PSS?) Help me out with your prayers and support and I promise to give you little tastes of whatever I’m working on. 🙂