Dear Warrior…

Before a luncheon, I send out an encouragement/support note request to the groups I am on, and I also include the request in the MarineMoms-Bethesda newsletter. Then a day or two before the luncheon, I format them into a word document and print them out.

They are placed in a white 13×9 envelope and hand-delivered by us to the families or patients at the luncheons.

I print out a few more than I think I will need just in case, and the leftovers are given to the Marine Liaison’s office for guys we may have missed, like if they were out on a day pass, or for incoming patients who may arrive in between luncheons.

The notes are for all branches of the military.

Here are a few that were received for this luncheon: Continue reading February 15, 2009 – 5th Floor →

Winter & a Mercy Hall Luncheon

The day before a luncheon I head over to the Western Shore to food shop and get ready for the luncheon with the rest of the crew and we knock it all out with enough time to sit back and enjoy catching up with each other.

I’m always leery about planning a luncheon from January through March though, because of flu season and the weather.  In fact, a few weeks before this luncheon we had a “what if” discussion.
And then it happened…

The Day Before–

1000: “Jane, it’s pretty treacherous here. My road is a sheet of ice.

“It’s not looking too good here either, Robin.”

“You might want to call for a Bridge report.”

“Good idea.”

===

1130: “Jane, how’s the roads over there? You don’t like driving in this stuff, do you?”

“Noooooo, not a bit. Deb, BWI’s reporting freezing fog. I don’t think I’m going to make it over there today. Man I hate to cancel…”

===

The guys at Mercy Hall went out, did their job, and traveled on roads in HMVVs not knowing if they were going to make it back to camp without hitting an IED or being shot by a sniper. Continue reading January 29, 2009 ~ Mercy Hall →

“I could smell it out in the hallway!”

“Real food!”

“Fill your plate – there’s plenty! Sandwiches there, chili over there, drinks behind you.”

“Brownies!”

“NO calories in the brownies!”

“Was your son wounded or are you here for something else?”

“My son was wounded – suicide bomber.”

“It’s my husband – IED.”

“Where was he?” Continue reading November 2008 – 5th Floor: Conversations… →

It seems like it wasn’t that long ago that Brenda picked daffodils for the table decorations and now here we have pumpkins, gourds and wheat.

Where did the summer go?

Robin suggested doing a potato bar with all the toppings for this month’s luncheon. Deb’s Chili, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, jalapeno slices, butter, cheese sauce and broccoli made for a meal in itself. Continue reading October 12, 2008 – 5th Floor: Fall is in the air →

…except when your son is recovering from a crushed pelvis and other injuries acquired while training Iraqis in house-clearing and half of the house fell on him – third deployment.

Or your son returns home on leave safely after two deployments over there and then is involved in a very serious car accident at home.

Or you’re the girlfriend who flew in from far away Continue reading August 23, 2008 – 5th Floor: Summertime, and the livin’ is easy… →

And so are their families, at least the one we met at the latest MarineMoms-Bethesda luncheon was.

The men hung out with us Moms for most of the luncheon waiting for their Marine to come out of surgery and the women came in toward the end of the luncheon.

Wonderful family and so supportive of their Marine.

“OUR HERO” t-shirts that the girls had made and were wearing.

All were wearing a button with his picture on it. Continue reading June 28, 2008 – 5th Floor →

Spring Has Sprung!

And we turned this:

into this:

A cheery springtime luncheon – chicken salad, ham and roast beef wraps, jello salad, deviled eggs, chips and dips, pasta salad, pickles, turnovers, cookies, cheesecake, peach tea, soda, and smoothies.

Flowers by Brenda! Continue reading March 28, 2008 – 5th Floor →

Just Hangin’ Out

Running a few minutes late I arrived at Deb’s in time to join her for leftover ziti and a big salad for lunch Saturday.  We started preparing for our Sunday luncheon with the grocery shopping trip that afternoon.  Deb and I grabbed our two carts and headed into Costco with The List, printed on card stock ‘cause I’m out of printer paper.  My printer says I’m out of printer ink, too, but I think it lies… been printing with it for a month now since the lights have been blinking.

The List is divided into sections: Continue reading January 27, 2008 ~ 5th Floor →