I Remember Donnie & Troy
Suzie Bichovsky-Thomas • May 25, 2014
In honor of Memorial Day, I would like to pause and remember two men.
Desert Storm occurred while I was in high school. This was before the social media storm and the 24 hour news cycle. Yes, there was a CNN but, to the best of my memory, most of us had 3, 6, and 10. Those of us with cable (or with friends that had cable) were more interested in MTV’s Downtown Julie Brown
than anchorman Bernard Shaw
.
We were tasked with writing servicemen letters as part of our history class; however, I started a long-lasting exchange with two soldiers, Donnie and Troy. I remember one describing the desert sky at night and the other requesting that I not put my return address on the envelopes I sent for fear it would be intercepted and something threatening would be sent to me.
I do not know what happened to these gentlemen. I chickened out of meeting one and the letter writing was lost to the rights of teen passage- dating, prom, graduation. I do quietly and privately think of each of them, on Veterans Day and Memorial Day, hoping that the first occasion is a more appropriate remembrance.
I do not envision that these gentlemen are searching for me in the Google-Age but, if they ever do, I want them to know that as I enjoy my view, I say a quiet affirmation for their good health. They are remembered. And thanked.
There’s something about being outside surrounded or embraced by nature.
What’s a nature element that really speaks to you?
It could be the moment you notice the dark green of a treetop touching the vibrant blue of the sky.
I’m awful at business growth, meaning- I don’t post when algorithms say I should. I don’t “buy” likes or followers or traffic to my site. I post all things related to burnout prevention on Fridays which used to be one of the worst days to do so.
I got a phone call on Wednesday night with a funeral date for a family member that passed in March.
During that conversation, we once again explored the path of origin. The surviving spouse got it from work (the area was an epicenter of contagion before we all knew what’s going on). The workplace was a school. It spread like wildfire (again, before anyone knew what it was).