The Great and Random Ramblings of Cannwin

The military has been a part of my life for quite a while now. In fact, it was one of the things that attracted me to Ralexwin. I'd known soldiers (my brother mostly) and I deeply admired the honor such a commitment represented. I can still remember Ralexwin coming over to my apartment dressed to the nines in his Class A's. I don't recall where he was going, but I won't forget the masculine power that emanated from him and as soon as I saw him in that uniform I was a lost woman. Not only did it appeal to my femininity, but also to my respect for those qualities of duty, courage, and honor. I saw it as being a part of something greater than self and I loved it in my future husband, but those were days of peace. My childish mind barely registered the true oaths of a soldier, and I honestly didn't really care. I was enamored with the romantic notions of being a soldier's wife. When September 11, 2001 happened Ralexwin and I had been married for less than a ye...

Ralexwin is off to train his fellow soldiers how to be better warriors. And of course as he was leaving something happened that I'll have to deal with on my own. That's always the way it works. When he was in Iraq our condo in Phoenix flooded (I was gone to Idaho). So while he sat there all cozy in the desert, I had to remodel our condo. This time it's a tree in our back yard blown over last night in a storm. ::sigh:: But that's okay. It's the sort of thing us soldier's wives have to deal with in order to see our men in uniforms. Which is a definite perk. Abigail Adams once said " I would not only have submitted to the absence I have endured, painful as it has been; but would not have opposed it, even tho 3 years more should be added to the Number... I feel a pleasure in being able to sacrifice my selfish passions to the general good." I couldn't have said it better myself. Besides, I have a list of chick flicks I wan...

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. One of my favorite quotes that MLK Jr. said is: The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Martin Luther King Jr is one of my all time favorite heroes. Did you know that he was  hand picked by the bl...

Have you ever really thought about what it means to give life? The actual act of bringing a child into the world? Far beyond the pain and exhaustion and relief there is something very amazing going on. I am reminded of a quote that my mother always uses: "Mother, who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to give us birth, deserves our undying gratitude." Thomas S. Monson It is true that delivering a child is one of the most arduous tasks human kind is called upon to do. Until very recently, indeed in some countries still, this has demanded great numbers of lives both of mother's and infants. It is without question that a woman is closest to death when she is giving life. It is commonly believed that there is but one time in our existence on this Earth that we are close to the spirit world and that is death. Bu...