We are using a new format starting this morning. I whined enough to our founder, Steve Durgin, that he gave up and allowed me to switch to WordPress.
It has been a wild holiday season. I had three Christmas parties, two long meetings, and a partridge in a pear tree.
Some of it is a blur, but the times with family were special this year. It is the first time in many years that all of my children were here. My son, Colonel KC Bolton, just retired from the Army recently, and we are able to be with him much more now since he lives within two hours of our home.
While you are, or were, in the military have you have times when you wished you could see all your family? Were you in Iraq, or Afghanistan?
I faced that when I was deployed to Korea. On Christmas day, I saved the one present my mother sent me, and opened it. It was a recent picture of her. At that time, it was the best present I had ever received. It seemed like she was right there with me as I looked at her picture.
That was it. I only received one present. The rest of my family didn’t take the time to send something off. That depressed me greatly. The loneliness set in, and I started battling depression, again.
Depression was a steady visitor at my door, wanting to come in and stay for a long time.
Have you had that happen? Have you battled depression, anxiety, loneliness, etc.
I can relate. I have been there.
How did I overcome this while deployed? I found ways to distract my thinking. I didn’t want to think about home too much. I wanted to escape into another world and live there as much as possible.
I read books. Many books! I would guess I read over twenty books in the thirteen months I was in Korea.
That is a lot considering that I worked twelve hour shifts as a radio/teletype operator monitoring the airways for breaches in security. I slept eight hours so the other four hours a day, I read books. One book I read a lot was the Bible. It had so many words of encouragement for me.
Seem too simplistic doesn’t it? Well, it was. I was able to go to that other world I mentioned above and stay there as much as I could. The stories took me into their world and I enjoyed it. (Except when I read Stephen King books. They were pretty scary.)
That was just one way for me to survive. I will be sharing others as we walk down this path together.
You are an American hero! You sacrificed your time to serve your country. Don’t let the demons of depression, anxiety, loneliness, overcome you. Find ways to walk your path with happiness.
There is always help for you 24/7 at: 1-800-273-8255
Remember:
You are never alone.
You are never forsaken.
You are never unloved.
And above all….never, ever, give up!