BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

SOMETHING FOR US TO WATCH AND REFLECT ON THIS MEMORIAL DAY CLICK HERE (for my Uncle, of blessed memory - decorated WWII U.S. Navy Veteran, for my father-in-law, of blessed memory - WWII Canadian Army Veteran and my father, of blessed memory - WWII U.S. Army Veteran) Poem to the Soldier Author Unknown It is the Soldier, not the reporter who has given us freedom of press It is the Soldier, not the poet who has given us freedom of speech It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer who gives us freedom to demonstrate It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag. QUOTES TO PONDER: "Never in the face of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few." - Winston Churchill "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." - Thomas Jefferson "....If you leave here with the word DUTY implanted in your mind; if you leave here with the ...

By Yisrael Pinson Do you ever think to yourself: What in the world is wrong with people? Aren't they getting what I'm getting? Aren't they feeling what I'm feeling? You may have just lost a dear family member. The grief is insurmountable. You are driving in the limo from the chapel to the cemetery and you look out the window. People are walking around, shopping, having lunch, and going about their day. And you ask yourself: What in the world is wrong with these people? Aren't they getting what I'm getting? Aren't they feeling what I'm feeling? You may have just experienced the birth of a child for the first time. You are excitedly calling friends and family, while your wife holds the newborn. You are pacing down the hallways, and pass by the nurse's station. One nurse is complaining about her nails, the other talks about the cable guy. And you ask yourself: What in the world is wrong with people? Aren't they getting what I'm getting? Aren...

These last few years I've been sorting life out... again. Whether its because of midlife crisis, pulling myself back together after a severe personal trauma or finding my balance after losing myself in motherhood, its been hard and rewarding. I realized that I will never arrive at a point where I'm done. Life and understanding will be an ongoing process of self-examining and the folding and unfolding of circumstance. I've also now become a parentless child. Death has claimed my parents, who had me when they were 'older.' And the contents of their home now sits in boxes in mine. I sort through it when I have energy but more importantly, when I can mentally & emotionally handle it. Being 'top dog' in the family now as freed me to feel. Feel the rage and anger at the cruel parenting I received. But sometimes I can't. My conditioning is so thorough that I have a hard time getting angry and staying angry at things I should. I will become incensed...

Kudos to T.A.P.S. I wanted to give a big thumb up to TAPS, the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors who help the families and loved ones of Military Personnel who have died in the service to cope - long after the military is out of the picture. Here's more: The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc. (TAPS) was founded in the wake of a military tragedy -- the deaths of eight soldiers aboard an Army National Guard aircraft in November 1992. In the months and years following the loss of their loved ones, the survivors turned to various grief support organizations for comfort; but when they turned to each other for comfort and to share common fears and problems, they found strength and truly began to heal. They realized that the tragedy they shared, losing a loved one in the line of military duty, was far different from other types of losses. They shared pride in their spouses' service to America, and tremendous sadness at the ultimate sacrifice their loved ones made. ...

FOLLOW UP - MEGAN MEIER'S SUICIDE FROM MYSPACE ONLINE LIES After posting about this story yesterday , my hit counter has gone crazy. The hits don't stop! I have rejected numerous comments with the perpetrator's phone & cell numbers and rants about forcing Mrs. Lori Drew(a mother herself - who posed as "Josh Evans" on MySpace) to "throw herself off a building" or worse. I don't ascribe to persecution, harrassment or this sort of vigilante justice. Ever. Almost 4 years ago I was in a situation where, as my trauma counselors & victim's witness explained to me - I wasn't simply manipulated by someone I'd known over 25 years and had no reason not to trust. But I was used for kicks and emotionally raped for 2 years prior. I had been defenseless. I went to the hospital a number of times after finding out for non-stop vomitting, ended up self-harming for the first time in 22 years because I realized I meant nothing - which sent me...

TAKING THEIR GRIEF TO THE INTERNET By Taylor Gandossy For one Virginia Tech sophomore, the terrible news didn't come through a conversation with a friend or from the authorities, or even over the phone. He learned of his friend Ross Alameddine's death through an AOL instant message with another friend. "He was a really good friend of mine," the student, who didn't wish to be named, said through instant message, adding that they had grown apart before the shootings. As their campus churned with chaos, many Virginia Tech students, grief-stricken and bewildered, turned to the Internet to share information and stories, ask questions and comfort each other. On Facebook.com, a members-only social Web site popular among college students, dozens of groups were created, starting moments after the shootings. Students updated information within existing groups, and created additional groups long into the night, and into Tuesday. As the number of confirmed deaths climbed from...