catching up again

Just a quick blog to let everyone know that I am going back and filling in the spaces in time as we have been really busy and not able to get on to do my blogging.  For the next few weeks I am in bed recovering from having foot surgery so I am going to take this time to go over all my pictures that I have been taking for the last several months and catching up on my blogs.  Happy reading everyone.

An Act of Love and Kindness

This week has been a week of giving for my family.  We have had a wonderful, once in a lifetime, life changing experience.

This past week Heather, Jon and I all had the opportunity to help one of his fellow soldiers SSG Patrick Zeigler and his fiance Jessica Hansen. Jon and Patrick were in the same unit together up until a year and a half ago.  Patrick was the worst injuried in the the November 5, 2009 when Maj Nidal Hasan decided to start shooting at the SRP center.

This week has been very humbling to me.  I have learned so many things.  Giving from the heart without expecting anything in return is what the Lord has commanded us to do in helping others.  Sometimes even when you do this there are people out there that do not understand, or are jealous about the fact that someone can give so freely.  So many people saw us on a daily bases out there all the time and really questioned us as to why we were there so much.  I had to explain so many times that we wanted to spend as much time there helping as we could because one it was a healing process for us, but that mainly it was our nature to want to give with all of our heart.

We met so many people out there both that were military, military spouses, retired military that we got to know while working with them.  When doing something like this you find that you may make friends that you have more in common with than you thought in the beginning.

There was a very real moment that my husband and I had during the build that just stood out to us and made us feel deep down in our hearts that all that we were doing was right.  I wanted to take a moment and tell everyone about this moment.  Jon had come out on one of his nights off to see what he could do to help.  He was working on the yard and came across a rock at the back of the house that was mostly in the ground still.  He thought that it was odd that it was still mostly in the ground because all of the area had been turned over in order to build the foundation.  For some reason this rock stood out to him and he decided to take a moment and dig it out.  When he did he looked at the rock and saw something that was to him extraordinary and came to get me to show me what he had found.  When I went and saw that this was a rock at first I thought that it was just a rock until I really looked at it.  Jon turned it over and what I saw next sent so many feelings and thoughts through my mind that I immediately felt the need to get this rock to someone that could use it in the home for something.  Now why would I feel that way?  This rock had a heart that that embedded into it.  The heart also had a small line through one side of it as if it had broken and had healed.  Jon and I took the rock to Amanda from the media team of Tilson Homes and showed her what my husband had found and told her that this had so much meaning behind it to sum up the four feelings that we had about this rock here is what I wrote in a letter to Patrick and Jessica. "1) everything about this build from the location, to the family it is for, to all the people involved and all the things done to make this happen was ment to be. 2) That there is something amazing and very special about you both. 3) That no matter what has happen your love for each other has and will see you through all your struggles. Finally, 4) the small line represented that you both have been through so much and given up so much, yet even through your darkest days you have made it through it all." One of the other things that we wrote to them is this: "Love is not our whole life, but it is what makes our life whole."

This week has been totally amazing and we got the chance to help build a house in a week, this house will not just be a house, but a home for the Zeilger's.  Today they are getting married on Fort Hood thanks to ABC. It is like they are getting a chance to take a small bit back from Hasan and what he took away from them. After the wedding they will be going to MOVE THAT BUS to see for the first time their new home, where they will be able to begin this new chapter in their lives, after the reveal they will also be able to have a wedding reception.  ABC and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has done many wonderful things over the last 8 seasons and I have been amazed at what I have seen on TV, but this has to be the best story as well as the most amazing things I have ever seen and heard.  Hats off to Ty Pennington, Xzibi, Paul DiMeo, and Leigh Anne Tuohy for what they have done for this family.  Since I know that the family is busy getting ready for the wedding and the reveal today I am posting the photos that I have from what we have done this week.  I can't wait until the show airs to see it on National TV. It airs February 20th at 7pm central time!  They have told us that 6 to 8 weeks is when it will be ready to go on air and if my math is right it will be  the day before Valentine's Day.  We were told that they will not air a show the Sunday of the Super Bowl and that they are shooting another show while they are doing this one as well.  I just can't wait to see what we all will not be able to see from outside today and that is their faces when they show them all the surprizes that are in the house and outside the home as well as clips of the wedding and reception.  I have a feeling that this epsiode is not going to be the typical 1 hours show, I think personally that this will be one of the 2 hours shows because of so much that is going into this show.  Not only are we as volunteers building and Extreme Home but ABC and Extreme Makeover is putting on an Extreme Wedding as well. 

Congratulations Patrick and Jessica I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed life together and know that you will always have your Army family there for you if you need them for anything.