Monday, April 14, 2008

The Beginning

WHEW! Who would have thought that I would one day be starting to blog? It just truly proves that we can continue learning new things even if we are considered to be Senior Citizens!

I think an interesting life is one that is full of "new beginnings"...changes and challenges and my life has been like that. While there are many things I will eventually post let me begin with just a brief tale of what brought me to doing this blog!

It began with a trip to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC in August of 1995. My husband Eddie needed to make this journy for the 30th anniversary
of that fateful day in Vietnam when his life changed forever because of the land mine he stepped on. As we traveled, I asked him to make some notes and write some of the things he was thinking so that our children and grandchildren would know more about him.

Eddie did make some notes, but it took all of 10 years before he would finish what he started on that trip.......THEN some wonderful things happened!

While at the Vietnam Welcome home in Branson in June of 2005 we met two wonderful women; Pat Avery and Joyce Faulkner with Red Engine Press Consulting. (http://www.joycefaulkner.com/ and http://www.patmcgrathavery.com/ ) They had a booth and were there to encourage veterans to tell their stories. We had a copy of what Eddie had written with us and decided to leave it with them! How that changed our lives! A few weeks later Joyce called and told Eddie this needed to be published....and by November of 2005 we had a finished book:
Lucky Enough. We were amazed at the number of copies we sold in Branson, MO during Veterans Week in November.

Eventually this led to us being invited to visit Walter Reed and Bethesda hospitals. This is what Eddie had wanted to do from the first moment our injured troops began coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. We have been blessed to be able to go to many of our military and VA hospitals. Eddie is able to encourage these young men and women with his story...they can see that even though he uses a wheelchair to get around he's had a full and exciting life...He did it and they can too.

AND...as we have traveled I have kept a journal...it is from there that future blogs will come ...Hope For the Warriors Race, the Pentagon visit, Branson Veterans Week and much more.

Connie Beesley.....the lady "lucky enough" to be Eddie's wife.

3 comments:

Deb said...

This is so exciting, I will love reading about your adventures, you two are truely an inspiration to others. Love and miss you both Deb Cottrell

Anonymous said...

I've known Eddie since 1963. Eddie was the person that everyone knows. When he'd walk into the Barracks he'd get everyone Laughing until you cried! In Combat Eddie kept everyones Sprite up! Eddie was and always will be a Marine that everyone is Proud to call Friend! You can't find a better Friend then Eddie. Thank's Eddie! Bob Brown USMC 63-68

Debe said...

I am so glad you are doing this. I miss seeing you and this way maybe I can keep up with what all you are into. See you in San Diego!