Three Hearts Beating

A Poem of Love

Three Hearts Beating
written in love
by Valerie Barten Chamberlain
mother

first came my knight in shining armor
     brown eyes like deep pools
     filled with love, wisdom, compassion, strength
     armed with honor, integrity, devotion
     my rock, my believer, 
     my defender, my knight
     defender of my heart, my knight...
     then, and now to be shared...
     with the world... with his princess... 
     my knight

along comes the lioness – blonde hair flying
     blue eyes dance with light
     full of courage, determination, strength
     angel of our soul
     conqueror of our hearts... beauty deep
     my mind is her mind – no sea can part
     like a lion – she stands tall and
     commands respect
     my lioness with the blonde hair flying

now welcome my little strawberry
     how sweet is thy presence...
     fruit of the spirit
     light of our light – miracle child
     to know her is to love her –
     basking in her sweetness
     never far away from our thoughts
     gift of love...
     a shining star on all that know her –
     to know her is to know a smile...
     my little strawberry... belonging to all of us

Honor... Courage... Spirit...
     Then on that Halloween Eve
     and forever in our life...
     God honors us...
     My heart lives in these places,
     these moments...their story lives on...

Daughter-in-Love

(center, Gretchen 26?)
The 11th annual Ski for Women was held at Kincaid Park, Feb. 4, 2007. The 1,350 skier event is the largest all-women ski event in North America and benefits local non-profits working with abused women and children.

A Soldier's Quotes

“Any commander who fails to exceed his authority is not of much use to his subordinates.”
Arleigh Burke

“The major deterrent to war is in a man's mind.”
Arleigh Burke

“There never is a convenient place to fight a war when the other man starts it.”
Arleigh Burke

“This is the great reward of service, to live, far out and on, in the life of others; this is the mystery of Christ, - to give life's best for such high sake that it shall be found again unto life eternal.”
Joshua Chamberlain

“We have to go in places no body would ever think of going into were it not for the necessities of war.”
Joshua Chamberlain

“Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
David G. Farragut

“There are no extraordinary men... just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with.”
William Halsey

“A piece of spaghetti or a military unit can only be led from the front end.”
George S. Patton

“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.”
George S. Patton

“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”
George S. Patton

"The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."
Patrick Henry

"Victory belongs to the most persevering."
Napoleon Bonaparte

"From time to time, the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots."
Thomas Jefferson

"Army: A body of men assembled to rectify the mistakes of the diplomats."
Josephus Daniels

"The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his."
George Patton

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell

Tears with Jesse James

Ok, this has been and is going to continue to be an emotional, roller coaster kind of year. 4 months down 8 or so remaining. Having contact with Sam at work on the classified SIPRnet most mornings and then reviewing the military action reports at times leaves me drained; but it also gives me a great appreciation for the troops serving in Iraq, both the horror and heroics.
I was flipping through the tv guide for the Military Channel and recorded a show called "Iraq Confidential with Jesse James". Sounded very interesting.

I have always enjoyed the Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage" which is basically centered around Jesse James's ability of custom car and motorcycle building. Yeah, he's rough, covered with tattoos, irreverent, potty mouthed, but he is an amazing craftsman, talented artist and he's married to Sandra Bullock.

Plus, he wanted to do something for the troops and see first hand what this war in Iraq is all about. Turns out that the Discovery Channel almost fired him for pushing the issue. So he spent a lot of is own money to ship 10s of thousands of dollars worth of custom car parts so that he could build an off the wall Humvee. Yes, he did the celebrity thing, he flew in Blackhawk helicopters, fired M240 machine guns from the door, had his picture taken and visited the hospitals on base. He was there to build a hot rod Humvee, help build troop moral.

Who knew we would see the softer, concerned, supportive side of this guy. A he-man who had tears in his eyes when the commanding officer awarded him with an American flag that flew over the air base while he was there. A mechanic so upset with tears in his eyes when he realize that his 1000 HP, wheelie popping monster wasn't going to run for the troops because they forgot to put oil in the transmission before they started the monster. Tears in his eyes for his co-workers and by now a friend to the Army and Air Force enlisted soldiers who worked side by side for a week.

And me, sitting in my warm and safe home in Virginia with tears in my eyes, running down my cheeks watching it all. Missing Sam, loving Sam, proud of Sam and knowing any one of those hard working and dedicated soldiers could be Sam.
Hooah!!!
God bless America and Jesse James for his efforts and his tears.

Light Between the Trees

Light Between the Trees
by Henry van Dyke

Long, long, long the trail
Through the brooding forest-gloom,
Down the shadowy, lonely vale
Into silence, like a room
Where the light of life has fled,
And the jealous curtains close
Round the passionless repose
Of the silent dead.

Plod, plod, plod away,
Step by step in mouldering moss;
Thick branches bar the day
Over languid streams that cross
Softly, slowly, with a sound
In their aimless creeping
Like a smothered weeping,
Through the enchanted ground.

"Yield, yield, yield thy quest,"
Whispers through the woodland deep;
"Come to me and be at rest;
"I am slumber, I am sleep."
Then the weary feet would fail,
But the never-daunted will
Urges "Forward, forward still!
"Press along the trail!"

Breast, breast, breast the slope!
See, the path is growing steep.
Hark! a little song of hope
When the stream begins to leap.
Though the forest, far and wide,
Still shuts out the bending blue,
We shall finally win through,
Cross the long divide.

On, on, onward tramp!
Will the journey never end?
Over yonder lies the camp;
Welcome waits us there, my friend.
Can we reach it ere the night?
Upward, upward, never fear!
Look, the summit must be near;
See the line of light!

Red, red, red the shine
Of the splendour in the west,
Glowing through the ranks of pine,
Clear along the mountain-crest!
Long, long, long the trail
Out of sorrow's lonely vale;
But at last the traveller sees
Light between the trees!

Theodore Roosevelt, A Man's Man

Theodore Roosevelt

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

“Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.”

“A typical vice of American politics is the avoidance of saying anything real on real issues.”

“A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad.”

“A man who is good enough to shed his blood for the country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.”

“Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or leave the country.”

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

“There can be no fifty-fifty Americanism in this country. There is room here for only 100 percent. Americanism, only for those who are Americans and nothing else.”

“We need the iron qualities that go with true manhood. We need the positive virtues of resolution, of courage, of indomitable will, of power to do without shrinking the rough work that must always be done.”

The Treasure of Life

The Treasure of Life
by Olive Walters

Life is a journey
A journey of time
Where a heart needs another
To give it a shine

We're all on a journey
With two paths to take
One that is right
And the one that can break

With many a set back
We'll find hard to bear
It's love and true friendship
That will help us to care

For a heart that is lonely
Can fill up with strain
Like a plant that can wither
Without sun and rain

So together when sharing
Surely we'll find
It's the treasure of life
That can give peace of mind