For Veterans, Parents, And More: The Personal Benefits Of Group Therapy by Lori ButierriesAs a female veteran as well as being the mother to two children with special needs, I find it hard to connect with the world around me. I can't relate to that many people anymore. To bridge the gap, I started attending a talk-therapy support group once a week to socialize with other … [Read more...]
Special Operations and Law Enforcement: The Importance Of Balance
As a little boy, the first thing you learn about life is that you will always be stronger when you are part of a team. After all, we are pack animals; it is how we have survived this long. People are not hard-wired with this sense of community because we enjoy it, but because it is necessary.Popular sports mimic the hunt, the battle, the war, in one way or another. It … [Read more...]
I Wish You Could See Your Suicide
I Wish You Could See Your Suicide by Thomas KnightYou didn’t mean to hurt anyone. That’s what the priest told us during the funeral Mass. It sounds good, at least. I’d love to ask what you were thinking, but, well, y’know. That ship has sailed. None of us outside that casket are going to know what was going through your mind right before the bullet. We never got to see the … [Read more...]
A Rally Cry for Mentorship
Written by Special Guest Author: L.A. GardnerA few years ago I had the pleasure of attending a spouses retreat with some amazing women. It was a simple weekend full of laughter, fun and a much-needed break away from young kids while my husband was on deployment. But it was also so much more than that for me. It was a life-changing event that gave me a focus and a goal like … [Read more...]
Prisoner of War: A Memoir — Tiny Terrorists Unleashed
Prisoner of War: A Memoir — Tiny Terrorists Unleashed Originally published on 16DEC14 _____ My sons are experts in the art of enhanced interrogation, better known as “torture.” When they were young, Kristoffer and Kyle reserved intensified interrogation techniques for their most vital and challenging captive — me. Their methods are not new: feigning suffocation, forcing me … [Read more...]
The Gifts of Brokenness
Brokenness was not on the top of my Christmas list. The ornaments defining our family tree lay shattered. The ragged edges of devastation replaced the joyful, annual pandemonium of Christmas’ past.My first Christmas alone wasn’t the first time sadness and depression capsized my heart. My dad’s death flat-lined the joy of the Christmas spirit. However, the unwelcome … [Read more...]
Gift Ideas for Veterans: The Semi-Auto Rubber Band Gun
Gift Ideas for Veterans: The Semi-Auto Rubber Band Gun by Scott FaithThis Christmas season, we're going to help you shop for the military veteran who has everything.This is too cool: a Walther PPK-style multi-shot rubber band gun. I mean, what veteran wouldn't want a James Bond-style semi-auto rubber band gun?This is WAY cooler than that "gun" you used to make … [Read more...]
Teenagers: They’re Not Just Being Lazy… Probably.
Teenagers: They're Not Just Being Lazy... Probably. by Justina Bahriak"Sleepy teens." The two words are almost synonymous.But after reading an article on Fox News about establishing later school start times for teens, I was taken aback by the negative comments. Not only did the vast majority of those who commented disagree, but they were incredibly heated by the mere … [Read more...]
Family, Adversity and Thanksgiving: The Military Way
Family is brought together by adversity, held together by choice.When people meet my wife, Kelly, and hear our story, they often ask, “how did you do it?”Her response is typical, “you just do, nobody plans for this; nobody really knows what they are getting into, but you just make do and help one another when you can.” Between September 17, 2001 and June 14, 2002, Kelly … [Read more...]
What Parenting on Empty Taught Me about Resilience
What Parenting on Empty Taught Me about Resilience by Ranger Gold Star Mother Scoti DomeijSizzling burnout, sleep deprivation, and physical illness triggered troublesome thoughts that hijacked my optimism, “I hate my life. I can’t do this anymore. I’m tired of being responsible for everything. I just want someone to take care of me.” Pushed beyond my emotional margin, I … [Read more...]