Flowers For Butterfly Wife...

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Butterfly Wife is taking a much needed mini vacation. Meanwhile, I (Lemon Stand), am returning her favor of keeping her blog running smoothly while she is gone. I will post the good news from our military forces every day and generally carry on...

She will be back on Sunday night (just thought you might like to know how long you have to put up with me...) ;oP ... Hopefully she will be in a more rested frame of mind and peaceful demeanor (or at the very least, a really good voodoo doll and pin set!)

I thought it might be nice to have everyone send her 'virtual' flowers because sometimes mil-spouses of deployed members, need care packages too!

HOW do you send 'virtual' flowers, you ask? Simply post a picture of a bouquet on your blog with a note for Butterfly Wife and then in the comments here, post the link. When she gets home, all she has to do to 'collect' her flowers is to click on the links listed. I'll start off the delivery so that you can all see what I mean.

Sweet Peas For Butterfly Wife From Lemon Stand of The Lemon Stand
Pretty Bouquet of Orange Roses, Red Lilies and Burgandy Carnations For Butterfly Wife From Cindy
Tulips and Iris' For Butterfly Wife From Reasa of My Life
A Flower (And A Butterfly) For A Friend From Stacy of G.R.I.T.S.
Here's To You Butterfly Wife From Claire of Knee Deep In The Hooah!
Virtual Flowers For Butterfly Wife From Incognito of You Can Heal
Flowers For Butterfly Wife From Roses of Ack! Thbbbt!
For Butterfly Wife From Mrs. Who of House Of Zathras
Flowers For Butterfly Wife From Triplee of Oh! That's Going To Leave A Mark!
Knitty Flowers For A Friend From Sarah of Trying To Grok
From My Garden From Stuffed of Spamanda
Mexican Turk's Cap, Cape Honeysuckle, and Blue Porterweed Flowers For Butterfly Wife From Ruth H
Yellow Butterfly on Sunflower For Butterfly Wife From VW Bug of One Happy Dog Speaks
Flowers For Butterfly Wife From Stephanie of She Who Waits

Weblog Voting...

Lemon Stand here... We interrupt your regularly scheduled, busy life to bring you this update:

Since Army Wife Toddler Mom is sliding in the poll a little, might I ask everyone to click **HERE** to vote for her as Best Diarist? You can vote every 24 hours and I guarantee, she's the best and deserves to win. If you have not ever visited Army Wife Toddler Mom... Give yourself a treat and head on over there...

Also, it is pure torture for me to have to choose between two of my favorite blogs so I'll ask you to choose one of the two following blogs for the Best Military Blog... Just click on the name of the blog you want to vote for. Again, you can vote once every 24 hours.

SpouseBuzz

Badgers Forward

(Yes, I know Michael Yon is way out in front, as well as Black Five and they are undeniably good, but my voting opinions are where my heart and spirit are touched most often.)

[I hope Butterfly Wife Doesn't mind my blatent trolling for votes but I truly believe these blogs add so much to the blogosphere]

Cross-posted at The Lemon Stand.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled, busy life. Lemon Stand Out

The Value Of A Letter...

Butterfly Wife has written over 500 cards and letters and it reminded me of a post I originally did on a bulletin board before I ever became a blogger. I thought that Butterfly Wife and everyone else might like to see one serviceman's feelings on the subject.

A couple of years ago while working with a group of ladies to send care packages and letters to a marine platoon that we had adopted, I asked my husband to put to paper the contents of a conversation we had about the value of a letter to a deployed service member.

Anyone who has read The Lemon Stand knows my husband has a very quirky sense of humor. There are, however, a few things he is serious about. When his serious streak does appear, I listen because he always puts into words what I could never describe.

THOUGHTS ON MAIL TO THE DEPLOYED SOLDIER

At 41, after serving an entire adult life in uniform, I hope I can offer some thoughts.

Mail, few things bring home closer than mail. Few things are more important. Even in the instantly gratified world we live in, the feeling of getting mail is indescribable. I can recall the feeling of at the end of the day, walking the mile or so to the MWR tent to check the mail list (in the Air Force the mail clerks would post a handwritten list of who had mail to save the questions), and the gloom that resulted from having no letter form my family. I remember the day I got 27 cards from my daughters, most containing only one word, but there were 27 of them. They weren’t big cards, all hand made, but they were for me, and there were 27 of them.

Because it’s not really a letter, you’re sending. It’s a taste of home, a reminder that someone knows your there, and a distraction from the endless routine. Getting a package of candy from a stranger is a strange wonderful feeling that can pick you up by the boot straps at a time when you need it most. Remember, it’s not the bombs or bullets that are the greatest danger, its stress and depression.

So what to send? A card, a letter, a picture of something other than sand. It doesn’t have to be big, small is okay, although contents you can eat are a plus. A book to read and pass on, home made cookies. I could go on for hours on a fruitcake I got in Korea (thanks Mom).

Movies are great also. In short anything sent is great, just make it personal.

While I’m not a Marine or soldier and take a lot of ribbing for being a wingnut, I was “down range” hauling explosives over the highways in decrepit trucks wearing less than perfect body armor. And I would never miss mail call.

QOTD:
And none will hear the postman's knock
Without a quickening of the heart.
For who can bear to feel himself forgotten?
~W.H. Auden