There is nothing more important to a soldier than them knowing that they are being supported by the people back home. So we set out this weekend to send our nephew, the marine, a care package and hope that he gets it in time for Easter. In our package, is some candy, whey protein (which he specifically requested), baby wipes, chapstick, animal crackers, nutella, homemade peanut butter cookies and chocolate chip cookies, and of course, letters and pictures from home.
it seems so silly to write letters to our marine about our simple life back home – after all, his daily life is about conquering bad guys, keeping his fellow marines safe, and making sure he makes it back to his quarters in one piece at the end of his assignment. After all, I go to work in tennis shoes and running gear, he goes to work carrying a big gun. And I mean a BIG gun! He breaks down doors and looks for bad guys, eats MREs, and sleeps in sand pits. And I worry about the upcoming training retreat which involves sleeping in a tent (don’t get me wrong – not worried about the tent part).
But I will continue to send him letters filled with the insignificant details of our days here, and maybe at least he will be able to find a few minutes to get his mind off of 120 degree weather and shamaals. And maybe he’ll share the cookies with his buddies and they’ll all get a good laugh at our latest run pictures that I’ve enclosed (or the family ski trip one). But mostly, I hope that when he receives his package, that he knows that we think of him day and night and pray for a quick end to a war we don’t understand anymore, and a swift return home.
A super cool thing that his GF shared with me is motomail. If you have email and your soldier’s land address, you can send them an online letter (no, not an email) and they’ll usually get it within 24 hours. So cool! If you have a soldier you’ll have to find it – just go to https://www.motomail.us, and follow the easy online instructions - you can even attach pictures (which, of course, I did).
If you don’t have a soldier serving somewhere, but want to show support, another great way is to send them coffee. Now, of course, I adore coffee so I think this is the greatest gift you can send. Just simply go to http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/ and order a cup of Joe ($2 – cheaper then starbux) and send a quick personal note. I have decided that every time I buy coffee (anywhere – starbux, McDonalds, gas stations, etc), I will put $2 aside to buy a cup for Joe as well.
There are a lot more ways to support our troops – you can simply google for ideas and find yourself overwhelmed, but it is one of the most important things we do during our simplistic days stateside that we can do. Continue praying for our nephew and all the other amazing men and women who are serving!
