Magical Moment 13, "My Bum"

Would I be correct in saying that there is a certain sweet, magical satisfaction that comes with being right? Especially between a husband and wife? There is gratifying validation when the confirming moment occurs and one person is right and the other person has to admit defeat! This happened the other day.

You see, my husband was different when he was active duty Army. His hair was never a millimeter longer than allowed. I’m talking, fresh hair cut every Sunday afternoon for seven years. Clean shaven with a sharp blade every morning. Polished, ironed, pressed, creased, and tucked in 24/7.

Well, things have changed in the last few months. He now ventures out into public in t-shirts and jeans taken from a wadded up pile on the floor. His face is overgrown with untamed, thick whiskers. His hair is long, uncombed, un-gelled, and usually unwashed.

As his wife, I generally feel it is my responsibility to see that he is presentable when we go out. I can usually coax him into getting a haircut and shaving – at least for church. And when he picks out a horrendously inappropriate outfit, I can demand that he change. But I can’t always be around to do that. It usually becomes a battle. Eddie claims he doesn’t look that bad and I’m just too picky. Nobody looks or thinks twice about a guy wearing white cotton socks with dress shoes and pants, and a few wrinkles don’t stand out that bad. For the most part, despite my numerous pleas for regular grooming, he has stuck to his disheveled ways.

The other day, he walked into a McDonalds (his eating habits are another story!) in his usual attire – wrinkled t-shirt, old Army camouflage pants, and flip-flops. His hair was a long, wild mess and he hadn’t shaved in days. He noticed an old friend that he went to school with and walked over to say hello. As he got closer, the man looked down, more intensely at his cell phone and turned his body away from Eddie. Eddie called out a hello, but he just put his head farther down in deliberate avoidance. Finally Eddie yelled his name and said, “Hey, we went to school together.” Finally the man looked up and after a moment of thought he finally recognized Eddie. “Sorry man, I thought you were a bum coming to bother me for money.”

Need I say more? He may look like a bum, but he's my bum.

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-

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