My Blessings

[trapperhoney]

In November there is an important date in our family.  It is November 10, the Marine Corps birthday.  Hubby is a Marine.  He started his military career (though he hates that word) in the Marines in 1985.  The Marines did a great deal in shaping him.  He had grown up without a father, had to work a huge garden as his single, widowed mother worked long hours in a factory to support her two little boys (born 18 months a part).  He grew up in the wilds of PA, close to the Poconos.  He enjoyed hunting, helping put food on the table, and eventually went into trapping which he did very well at.  But until he joined the Marines he didn't have a lot of purpose.  He was in the Corps four years and was discharged due to a back injury.  They gave him severance pay.  The youth minister at the church he worked with suggested he go to a Bible college in WV, the same college he had graduated from.  He drove hubby up to WV for a visit, and that is where he decided to go.  While there, Desert Storm came up.  His back had healed so he tried to get back into the Corps but they wouldn't take him, so he went into the Army Reserve where they asked him to become a Drill Sergeant.  He was going through his schooling the first year I went to the college.  That is where we met, though it was several years later when the Lord brought us together as husband and wife.  While not at all interested in him romantically at first, he "grew" on me, wore me down, and I did fall in love with him.  Over the past 20 years it has become obvious we are soul mates and a matched set.  He is my best friend.  He is a gifted teacher, not just in the Bible.  He is currently working with a little four year old at our dojo and the boy adores him, much like our own son did at that age.  That brings me to my second blessing -- our son.  He recently received his black belt amidst some challenges (God fought that battle beautifully for us)  He enjoys being his Dad's "superior" in karate.  He spent two years in JROTC, and while not interested in pursuing a military career, he now has something in common with his father and understands him much better.  I have been truly blessed by God, we have a blessed family.

 

[No Nicolaitans]

Wonderful testimonial! Thank you for sharing it with everyone. 

[Rosie]

what does your son want to do when he gets out of school

[trapperhoney]

4 minutes ago, Rosie said:

what does your son want to do when he gets out of school

well, he doesn't know.  after the first of the year we will probably start him on a locksmithing correspondence course so he can have our lockshop open during the day.  I would like him to do something in computers, he is good at what he knows, but he doesn't know a lot.

[Alan]

God bless.

[Alan]

Trapperhoney,

The sacrifice of your husband, and the family in support of the husband, towards the freedom of the United States, in war and peace, by his service in the Armed Forces, is appreciated.

Alan

 

[trapperhoney]

thank you for your support.  up until now he has been in training units, therefore "non-deployable" but he has recently moved into a combat engineer unit (he was cross trained in the reserves but never did the job) and is very likely to be one of the first to be deployed if things with ISIS really heats up.

[Alan]

Please keep us posted.

[WellWithMySoul]

I greatly appreciate your husband's and son's service!  I mentioned in another thread that all 4 of our kiddos have served (two still serving), and the Lord has sustained us through 8 deployments between them.  I do understand the feelings of being a wife of a military man, and also being a military mom...and so I long to be of encouragement and support to you!  Thank you for posting all of the pictures.  When praying it helps to have their faces in mind, and makes it more personal.  You have a very precious family!

Lifting you up in prayer...

Merri

[Ronda]

Beautiful family! Thanks for sharing   And thankful also for your family's contribution to our military. (I also have family members currently in all branches of the military as well as many vets in the family). Freedom isn't free.  God bless you and yours!

[Rosie]

praying for God's will for him

[trapperhoney]

thanks to you all.  I just saw a headline that said Obama has ruled out sending ground troops against ISIS.  He really doesn't want to fight them, but I don't know how long he can hold out.  It's in the Lord's hands.