Operation Purple - Serious Today

Its warm (55°) and kinda cloudy today in Denver. South of town where I live, the snow is expected to start flying tonight. Winter Storm Warnings and 4 to 8 of the white stuff.

You've got to love spring time in the Rockies.

I don't talk about my kids too much in here. Most of that is intentional. I love them, would be lost without them but the reality is they just need to try to be kids again. What they've lost, they'll never get back, no matter how hard I try so I usually leave them out of this.

If you and your children have ever lived through having your significant other being medevac'd out of Iraq or Afghanistan you would know that an Army casualty notification kills a piece of their childhood. I hid my wife's injuries until she was within a day or two of coming home. Then I sat down and tried to explain it all to them.

BTW - I probably screwed that part up too. Just add it to the list!

I didn't let them meet her plane at Fort Bragg. She was going straight to the hospital in an ambulance anyway. I did let them visit her there though.

Like us, kids go through phases of loss when dealing with a mom or dad who doesn't hike or climb or play Frisbee or kayak or do any of that fun stuff anymore. we all go through these phases of loss but I think it is harder on them. It has to be - ten year olds haven't learned to deal with loss or pain. Come to think of it - neither have I.

I'm digressing - Sorry!

The point of this post is to talk about Operation Purple: Operation Purple is a series of summer camps around the country for kids of service members who are deployed. Developed and promoted by the national Military Family Association(NMFA) with some serious sponsorship from the Dells and Sears, it is a place where military kids get to be kids again. our children need to be around other kids who know what their lives are like. They need to be around kids who can relate to what they have gone through. They also run some camps for the children of disabled service members and disabled vets of the WOT. These kids (Mine) have a whole other list of issues to deal with.

Please check out the link and spread it around.

http://www.operationpurple.org/

Peace