Brain on Paper

For a year I heard from G.I. D everyday, sometimes twice a day. One can get incredible insight into a person from the words that person writes. (My mother would probably have disagreed with this statement....she said the only time my dad was romantic and loving was when they were apart from one another and he was sending her letters). It gives one a clue into how the person sees the world; what makes the person tick; his/her thought process, beliefs, values. So when the writing stops, one doesn't realize at first what is missing...until today I got a long note from G.I. D and I realized I missed his brain.....

29 Palms

Today I heard from a Marine who is based out of 29 Palms....I had sent a box to him because I too was based there once. It was not a beautiful place, but it was home for 2.5 years. And I acquired an incredible respect for Marines. The grandeur of a Marine standing at the entrance of the base was something that generated awe everyday. What an extraordinary group of people they are. 

Sweet words

I am in Vegas at a convention, but my husband sent me a text letting me know that I had gotten two letters from soldiers. One was from Miss C. She seems to be holding up well....apparently her boyfriend is hot to have kids. I need to find her a Children's t-shirt.
The second letter was from G.I. J....he wrote to my daughter, Carly, because Carly had sent him a letter....that was so sweet of him and it meant so much to Carly.

A small world

Today I heard from a young woman in Afghanistan....she is based in the same place as the soldier "J" whom I adopted via www.adoptaplatoon.org. The world can be so small even when they are people a long way away.

All is well

I heard from G.I. J and he and his guys are ok.....always good to know that things are at least stable.

My third child, Chaney. His older brothers call him "pretty boy." Not sure that he cares for that, but they would not be far off in their assessment of him. 

A couple of more cards that I made last night...I just got the new set on the right and I must say, I do love it. 

I haven't heard from one of the soldiers for the last few days. I have been working on not worrying, but it is difficult to do when you are writing to someone in a war zone. There is always some basal level of worry. 

Another letter

Today I got a sweet letter from a young woman on her first deployment to Iraq. She told me about her family, sent me a picture of them. She seems to holding up well....

I also heard from the guy I have adopted via www.adoptaplatoon.org. He was pleased with the last package I sent him because I had enclosed computer magazines. I had done a little profiling before I knew his likes and I had sent a sport magazine (albeit, SI swimsuit issue) as I assumed that a young soldier would be a big sports fan. However, I was incorrect in my assumptions....he is a fan of computers. Thus, computer magazines were sent. 

I have to say, there are times when I miss hearing from the soldier I wrote to last year. ...I used to hear from him almost daily. It is not an expectation that I hear from him now; it is just a change. 

Sunday

So today I made cards, lots of cards, so I could send them with the packages of goodies I have collected over this weekend to send to Iraq and Afghanistan. Snack bars, flavored powder for water, socks, magazines, candy, a yo-yo.....and a card, just a note to say "hi....thinking about you."

Awesome Day

Today I got two letters, one email and one snail mail.....what a gift for me. One told me that I made him laugh with my story about running on Colfax in Denver. It is such simple stories that seem to be able to bring them home for a moment.....
Below I have a link to a friend's blog. She makes beautiful cards and we made one last night that I loved because it was of a tree with a yellow ribbon tied around the trunk...perfect for me to send to a soldier overseas.....
http://lifeinmycraftroom.blogspot.com/

Smiles

I got an email from "my hero" soldier today. I had sent a package of goodies for him and his men. I enclosed some "kid" stuff because I feel like everyone should have the opportunity to be a "kid" again. It made the guys laugh and it made him smile....that would be a good thing when one is away from home in a war zone.....

Making cards

I can become obsessive about making cards.....I get a new stamp and then I need to make a card with it....then I have to find someone to send it to....

Another letter

Today I got another letter from a soldier in Afghanistan. It was also a great letter....he said that the thing they look forward to most is getting mail as there really isn't much else there. Again, it is nice to know I can make a difference in someone else's day, particularly someone who is so far away.

Topics

It is funny when I have conversations with people about what they should include in their letters to soldiers....as though there is some sort of formula. I have come to learn that many people are intimidated by the idea of writing to someone they don't know. And I guess that I was at first. However, I seem to have gotten over that.
What I know now is that many of the deployed soldiers appreciate my writing to them the same way I would write to a long lost friend....just hearing about how my day was takes them away from where they are for a moment. And if for that moment he/she is able to smile or laugh or think about something other than Iraq or Afghanistan or the fact that he/she is away from home, then my letter has served its purpose.

Anticipation

There is a certain level of anticipation when writing letters....the anticipation of receiving a letter in return. For me, it is often an email in return from a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan....waiting to hear if they have gotten what I sent.....wanting to know what else they might need.....wondering what their day/life is like.....what can I do to make it better.

Cards

I like to make cards to send to people. It seems to me that getting a card is even more fun than getting a letter. Recently I have been sending blank cards to the soldiers overseas so that they have something more interesting than a blank sheet of paper to write on and send home.

Soldiersangels.org has 501 names awaiting adoption. Adoptaplatoon.org just sent me an email stating that they are in need of more people to adopt soldiers and platoons overseas.

Letters to Politicians

In Colorado there has been a big flap about the Colorado Nurse Practice Act....it seems that the Colorado Medical Society wants to have some say in defining the role of advanced practice nurses...I would be one of those nurse practitioners and I have a pretty strong opinion about my role. Thus, I sent the following to some of the Colorado Senate...


Betty Boyd
Health and Human Services, Chair
200 E. Colfax Denver, CO 80203

Dear Senator Boyd:

I am writing to you as an Advance Practice Nurse who is gravely concerned about the implications of the CMS’s request to define Advance Nursing Practice. I see the two professions as separate, but collaborative. My concern is that there is a serious potential to limit the autonomy of APN’s and to do so would be a disservice to the population as a whole.

I am currently the coordinator for the Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NNP) at The Children’s Hospital. We provide services to hospitals, families and newborns throughout the Denver metropolitan region. If our autonomy were to be limited, it would be probable that many of the hospitals where we currently practice would no longer be able to provide level II nursery service to their clientele. This would mean that the cost of health care would increase as more infants would have to be transported to a higher level of care in the urban centers. For some hospitals, this could have tremendous financial implications as NICU’s or Special Care Nurseries often supply the greatest revenue. Furthermore, this would create hardships for families whose infants’ medical management could not be provided close to home.

I think it is important to consider the potential impact of the CMS’s request. I recently attended a perinatal meeting at a local hospital. During this meeting there was a review of a case in which a very sick neonate was stabilized and transported to a higher level of care. It was the NNP who stabilized the infant. To a man, all who had worked at the hospital for several years acknowledged that had it not been for the NNP, the infant would have died. Thus, I would argue, that it is not just about providing care, it is about saving lives. APN’s need to have autonomy so we can do what we do……for some of us, that is saving infants.

Respectfully,



E. Welch-Carre, MS, NNP