As y’all know I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety in the last year or so. (Well I’ve been more open about it in that time.) About two or three months ago, one of the biggest struggles I was having was “Who Am I?”

Now honestly, I still haven’t figured that out so please don’t go asking me to tell you. My About Me page is a constant work in progress as I struggle to define just who precisely I am. However, in seeking this answer one of the things I decided I wanted to be was more giving. In other words, I wanted to make sure that my brain stopped looking in on itself as often and started looking towards others.

To that end, I signed up and adopted me a soldier! Now I didn’t just randomly show up at a base and point my finger and say “I’m adopting you!” No, I signed up with AAUSS and requested to adopt a soldier. Then I waited while they sorted through their database for someone I could “adopt.”

I got my email about “My Soldier” a few weeks later and found out that the area he is located is rather a remote part of Afghanistan. He also had a few items he’d really like, but if I couldn’t send them then the letters / emails were more than enough.

So over the last week or so we started to gather items together. Some magazines (some of which I totally made Alex select and buy because I’m a shy gal … this greatly amused our SINGLE GUY soldier when I shared the story) (really use your imagination on that request) and some snacks of various types made it into the box. Then I contacted the ever so great hint of a phone # where you can order flat rate boxes for your soldier FOR FREE. This really helps me to send more stuff because the USPS also supports our troops and supports those of us who want to support our troops.

It’s just a huge bundle of support!

{Shoot me a message via the contact page if you need this info so you can support a soldier too}

Luckily this past weekend it all came together and now just in time for the Fourth I’m able to send this little package off to our soldier.

As American’s most of us will enjoy a break next Wednesday. We’ll get to eat burgers, maybe go to the lake, watch some fireworks, and in general celebrate. That ability, that RIGHT to do so is being fought for every day by troops still in dangerous areas. They miss their family, their friends and to quote my soldier directly when he explained he didn’t know the holiday was up coming:

 The days get all meshed together and weeks and so on … i rarely know what day of the week it is … hey what ever you can send to help is fine i don’t mind. Thanks again for the support it truly means a lot to me.
your adopted soldier

I know this war is controversial, and honestly I don’t even want to get into that. However, I would like y’all to please consider at the very least sending a letter to a soldier this holiday just to say “Thanks.” It means so much to them because they often times feel forgotten. When you are thousand of miles away from home, when you are tired and dirty, when you are in areas that are so dangerous that it often means you don’t’ know when you’ll be able to call home again and say “I love you” a simple letter says SO MUCH to our troops. They aren’t forgotten. They are supported. They are missed.

I feel so much more vested in my right to eat birthday cake next week and really, I have a better idea of who I am now that I’ve taken this step. I know this may not be “the thing” for all of y’all but I do hope as the next week to week and a half passes that y’all all remember that Freedom does not come Free.