A Series of Interruptions

There are so many choices when one reflects on little phrases that capture the elements of life. Words simply do not do it justice, yet we still so enjoy giving it a try and even celebrate these words with art and places of honor throughout our days. There is what I would consider the easy ones; life is joy or happiness; life is overcoming, and so on. One can easily choose to reflect on the good or the bad, the challenges we face, and how we answer those challenges. One can attempt to try to represent the give and take of life in one fell swoop with phrases like sweet sorrow or tough love. In truth, all of these are so beautifully sufficient, we enjoy pouring over them again and again from which to draw strength and inspiration. At the same time, we continue in our efforts for new phrases that continue to ring in on the vibration of truth that lends to our loving these words and the wisdom they infuse to our souls.

One such phrase came to me during the time of life when our family was joined by our first child. Everything was different. I would try to plan my day with an infant in tow and realized everything I knew was wrong. I knew it took me 25 minutes to walk from our apartment just off base to the grocery store in town. However, that was wrong; 25 minutes was how long it took me before I had a baby. Now it took me an hour. I knew it took me one afternoon to wash our clothes for the week; this was also wrong. Laundry had become a never-ending quest with no end in sight but with mere survival the goal. The life I knew before baby was gone, and a new normal was setting in. This meant I had to relearn everything I thought I knew.

With the addition (or subtraction) of every family member, this process would repeat. With any new life-altering challenges thrown at our family, this process would repeat. This experience would happen again upon my husband’s return from war. Realizing how supporting his healing would so drastically change everything I thought I knew. Addressing issues such as refiguring how to meet our basic needs and care and factoring in new needs of everyone in the family due to whatever challenge had surfaced. Including caring for myself so that I could provide care for the rest of my family.

The phrase that came to me while trying to acclimate to the needs of a growing family was that life is a series of interruptions. One has a focus, such as to care for the family in some way, and throughout one’s focused attempts on these efforts, one is inevitably interrupted repeatedly. It is a bit on the ironic side since interruptions feel like something out place and even frustrating to the progress of life’s purpose. Nevertheless, we all have them, and if life is a series of interruptions, how one responds to and copes with these interruptions will greatly define one’s life. One of the best supports is community, and I have never felt such community as I have with the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes.

While defining my new normal after my husband returned from war, the Coalition was a saving grace to more than one interruption to our lives. They were there so that these interruptions were handled more smoothly and gently, providing relief and refocus. It seems the year 2020 has brought many common interruptions to all our lives, and during this time of uncertainty, the Coalition has brought empowerment to many veteran families, including my own through the Heroes to Heroes Program, granting us the opportunity to help ourselves. We are grateful for their ingenuity and generosity and for standing with the veteran community through our series of interruptions.  

~HTH Representative