Patty's Wandering Thoughts

Our Soldiers' Angels Chief of Blogging, says we are to write the posts. We are to report on what our area is doing. Well, I don't know what our area is doing as Soldiers' Angels. I barely know what I am doing some days, and if you ask me what I did five minutes ago, or five hours ago, I probably will not know. That is part of my disability. And it is not a direct link to getting thrown across a room, but...if you want to know, you can read the next paragraph. I worked at ....with kids with mental health issues and behavior issues. I worked with my heart instead of my brain and I let myself get in negative situations where the kids would not listen to me, the staff would not help me (since I had the bright idea that with all my qualifications and experience I would make a great house manager), we were short staffed, and the list can go on. But back on topic, I was threw across a room and hit a table. That herinated four disks in my lower back, and who knows what to my hip. After a month of administrative assignments that left me hurting more each day, I went back to the house. I was kicked in the face and neck helping another staff with a "bahavior issue". --We were to use positive reinforcement each time there was a problem.-- But I ended up with more herinated disks in my neck. Resulting injuries include more herinated disks over the five years, arthritis, spinal canal stenosis, fibromylgia, and blah, blah, blah, workers comp and social security since my limitations will never allow me to work again, to have a "normal" life again, and so on. Oh, fibromylgia causes memory loss and the changes the way your brain functions. One of the possibilities of causes is trauma to the body. At the risk of sounding like a depressed, isolated, victim, I do have other labels in my life. I am a mother of two grown sons, a wife of a wonderful husband who drives a big truck for a living. I am a veteran of the Air Force, I was a Army and Air Guard member while we lived in Georgia. I am proud of my Southern roots, I was born in Mississippi. At one time I was the military spouse of a Gulf War Soldier, we later divorced. Oh, on being proud of my Southern heritage, maybe the only thing I got out of it is pride. If nothing else your pride keeps you moving each day and going forward. Of course, family, animals, and God is a big part of that too. But if you are from the backwoods in the South, I am sure you know what I mean. Since you know of the some of the ways I put food on the table, had a career, a job....I care for veterans, kids, and animals. Now how does the animals fit into all this. Here in New York, on this beautiful land out in the country, we have cared for rabbits, guina pigs, mice, and now dogs and cats. Now some of these animals have a story attached, but that is not a part of this story. After I was disabled....my life changed...I became a survivor...I said I was going to support two causes (that did evolve) besides caring and loving for my family and the family that became a part of our lives by just walking through our door. These two causes are our military and animals, specifically dogs. With my new life, each day the animals showed they needed me. Grown males in your family do not always show that in a positive supportive way. I had to get out of bed, get out of the recliner, to take care of the animals. And my family has supported me with the animals and the "support" I give to veterans. I have collected items to donate to veterans at the Pine Plains VA Clinic and at Castle Point VA Center. Most of the collections have come from Carolyn D. who belongs to the (ahhh, here comes the memory issue).....something Christian Womens Club which incorporates the Columbia and Greene County Christian Ladies. Carolyn is a wonderful person who can talk to people and they will clean their closets out, go buy food, and gather up donations to give to our veterans. I also spend an enourmous amount of time on the computer and internet reading and researching issues regarding our New York Soldliers and their families and our veterans. I try to post this information here, on my facebook page, and on the Soldiers Angels New York facebook page. And as each day goes by, I realize how much my family and our animals support me. My family and I have adopted nine dogs in the past year. We have lost two dogs to their prior abuse. And we have three cats that have adopted us and our house. So in these wandering thoughts you know that I support soldiers and veterans and their families and dogs. And guess what??? Veterans, especially those with PTSD and TBI, need dogs. They may need a dog for a friend, for psycological issues, or for physical issues. And the last dog we adopted, we said we wanted to give him to a veteran who needs love and support from a dog who needs love and support. Make sense???? All our animals are rescues, many have been abused, other neglected in horriblle ways. Our dogs have from shelters and from our vet's office in Pine Plains. If you know someone who needs a dog, please let us know. Shadow still needs a lot of work and socialization. He is very timid and shy and thin. Now, it is another of those times, to get up out of my recliner to let the dogs back in. So I hope you have a wonderful day, even a blessed day, while I continue with my day.