Posts Tagged ‘sister

04
Jun
22

Honor Them Everyday

I am a bit late posting. Still a great point for you to think about.

Memorial Day. An important one. All days are a blessing, but on this day we as Americans honor the bravest people we will never see or meet. The men that stormed the beach in Normandy is only one example of the incredible sacrifice humans are capable of. I can’t imagine at 18 years old being told to run towards a wall of bullets. Have you ever thought about that?? I’m guessing no. You’re too busy calling strangers racist because they have different opinions than you. Do the world a favor and shelf that BS for today. I think about the kids that gave everything 90 years ago so you can stand on your pedestal and say America sucks. That being said these kids didn’t die for you to blindly follow the other side either.

No wall of bullets to charge today Bucky. How can we make a difference?? Glad you asked. Make your community better. Be a good neighbor, friend, Parent, Spouse, son, brother, daughter that used to be a son, or whatever you want. You can try to be 2nd best Uncle ever, but the top spot is all mine. Just be good to others. Not for recognition, but for the simple fact it is the right thing to do. We can all make a difference. Imagine what your life would be like if everyone on your block cared more about others than they do for themselves.

I have a point that I’m working towards here. Just trying to give you a moment to think about the military people and their families. Family. That is an awesome word. I’ve been blessed with a very big family that is amazing. It is far from perfect, but at the end of the day we are all there for each other. I don’t have children, but I spend as much time as I can with my nieces and nephews. I know a lot of people say they don’t know how to talk with kids. It is easy. Just pay attention to them. That is what we all want in life. To feel important, wanted (think kids, to be wanted as in join in the game), to feel appreciated (again kids – nice pass or catch), and all the rest. Be kind to your kids. They are the ones that will pick your nursing home.

I was playing frisbee with Annie in the park we go to daily for that purpose. We spent about an hour and half today. Lots of rest and water breaks. Right about an hour into it I see a couple dressed up as super heroes pushing their young kids in little plastic cars. Annabel was happy to show off her frisbee skills which are flipping awesome as this family walked by. I asked what was up?? I double checked before yelling out that today is not Halloween. In case you’re not sure either – it is not Halloween today. After I yelled ”Where you going??” I got the best reply. ”To save the world!!” I laughed and told them they made my day.

This parental unit took time to put the cape on, the mask on, and made sure the parent-mobile (like the batmobile, but not) had a full tank. I find this to be awesome. This is what I mean by change the world. Those kids don’t care who the President is, they just want some attention. We make the world better one super hero costume at a time. Ready for the tie in??? We honor the men and women that gave their lives for our freedom, by becoming the best version of us that we can possibly be. You can’t thank a deceased Veteran for their service. We can keep their memory alive by being great people and teaching our kids how to be great people.

It isn’t enough to throw some meat on the BBQ and chug Busch Lights for the day. We need to honor those every single day and not just some weekend to kick off summer. Become an awesome person that makes a difference in the world. Take care of your kids. Teach them they can do anything because they are blessed to have been born in the greatest country in the history of the world. Be a great friend, a great son or daughter, be a great brother or sister so that you send out great vibes every single day. I try to do amazing things for people, but I fall short many times each day, week, year, or decade.

If you never come up short that just means your goals or dreams aren’t big enough. Think about what your philosophy for life is. If I came up and asked you ”What do you want to accomplish in this life??” Do you have an answer?? I think about those that gave everything so that I can be here in America doing whatever I want. I’m free to read any books, educate myself, go where I want, vote for who I want, advocate for things that I want or things I believe would make the world better.

I know I’m a couple days late on publishing this one, but that also makes my bigger point. You don’t get to change your profile pic that says thank you Veterans for a weekend and then tuck that away until next year. Join me in honoring their memory every day by becoming the best you.

FknBucky

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03
Dec
21

Tragedy and Smiles

I want to share a story with you today. A very important one that I hope will open your eyes, your heart, and help motivate you to count your blessings instead of constantly wishing for more. There is a club that no one wants to join. There is no name for it, it has no leader, and it is guaranteed that all members wish they could unjoin. It is a club of tragedy. Accidents that change the body is the cost of membership. I became a member April 1st, 2002 and have been dealing with it every single day since. This isn’t my story though.

I volunteer because I am able to help and I know that. I offer my everything to the people I talk with at the rehab hospital. I will answer any questions no matter how personal, help with any equipment they may need or want to know about, and I’m happy to talk with family members that want to learn/understand how to best help the loved one that is going thru this physical nightmare. I’ve probably talked with at least few hundred confused/scared people over the years and I’m very proud of that.

Travis and Staci Hoyle gave me permission to use their real names in this blog. Travis was injured a couple months ago and is currently using a wheelchair. I want to express one thing here very strongly. It isn’t your business how it happened. Don’t ask. Ever. It is not okay. Don’t say I’m one of those people that just blurt it out. Travis will tell you if he wants to. Instead do something easy. Talk to him like you would without the chair. He is the same person today as he was 6 months ago. Bust his balls, call him ugly, give him a hard time about driving a Nissan, or whatever else you normally do.

The Hoyle’s have a tough road ahead. It isn’t impossible, but it is hard and they will need that 4 wheel drive of his F150, (it is actually a 2004 Nissan 4×4 Supercharged) to get thru it. “Travis made sure I corrected that.” I have no doubts that they will. This is a strong family from what I have seen. Leave your pity at home. Nobody needs that crap. Bring your happiness, smiles, never give up attitude, and instead of asking for details on what happened say ”I know you got this and I’m here if you need anything.”

I see strength, fear, and determination in Staci and Travis’s eyes. It is okay to have fear because everything is new and we fear what we don’t know. The strength they have has nothing to do with lifting weights. True strength is in a persons mind, it is strong to accept reality, it is strong to smile first thing in the morning and say I can do this, it is strong to remember you’re not the only one going thru this, and most importantly it is strong to acknowledge other people are hurting as well. Pity parties are stupid and worthless so have a strength party. Challenge everyone around you to use the strength God gave them to overcome this obstacle. Once again I will say I have no doubt they will overcome this, but friends and family have a HUGE role to play to make that happen.

Unfortunately bad things happen to great people all the time. It is unfair and makes me want to scream at nothing sometimes. 20 years of membership and yes sometimes I still have moments of extreme weakness and anger. The key is to not live there. Accept the emotions, work thru them naturally, and get back to living your best life. Avoid the ”what if” hole because it simply leads to depression, anger, and regrets. What if I didn’t go, what if I didn’t stop for coffee, what if I didn’t date her, what if what if, and more what if. That is pointless because no matter how much you torture yourself it will not ever change the outcome.

You don’t have to be Travis and Staci to use the advice above. Everyone has hardships in life, hardship plays no favorites, and facing it head on is the right course of action. There is a benefit for Travis on Sunday. I’m told the 300 available tickets sold out very quickly. Money is always welcome and helpful, but kind words and genuine caring is fuel for the fighting spirit alive inside of Travis and Staci. This is not an easy road, but once again it is not impossible. The only thing different is Travis got a lot shorter and won’t be running up any stairs for a while.

Remember as this battle goes on that smiles and laughter are okay. In fact they are a must. Focus on the things that make you smile. Watching your kids succeed at anything. Holding your partner in front of a fireplace on a rainy night. Laughing with your friends while telling old stories. One of my best friends growing up and I would always yell when Welcome Home (Sanitarium) by Metallica came on. It is a random thing, but after my accident while having a tough moment in life that song come over the radio. I was instantly transported back in time and smiled gratefully that I was still alive to enjoy that memory. It is okay to be happy while dealing with tragedy. To this day every time I hear this song, I’m instantly 19 years old again, yelling at the radio with my friends while drinking a Busch Light.

It is easy to find reasons to be unhappy, mean, and ungrateful. True strength is when you put all those aside and find one reason to smile. You only need one. Kids, wife, family, friends, pets, food in your stomach, warm place to sleep, and so on. You can choose to be happy in horrible situations. In life when we are forced into situations beyond our control it is important to concentrate on the one thing we always have control of. Your Attitude. It is easy to smile at the end of the trip, but more important to keep that smile and positive attitude going during the journey no matter how long it may be.

I hope everyone who reads this will share it. You never know who needs to hear the message above. If you can donate money please do and then share this message. If you can’t send money I only ask you share this message so others will see it and be able to help.

Count your blessings. Be grateful for the people in your life. Truly grateful for them.

FknBucky

READ * THINK * LIVE FREE

We still need Justice for Ryan Cooper. Please come forward if you have any information. As Russell Crowe said in the Gladiator “We will have our vengeance, in this lifetime or the next.”

31
May
21

The Families

Army SPC Jeremiah Collins, says goodbye to his wife Angela (R) and daughters Skkye Collins (L) and Shyla Collins (2-R)

Yesterday I talked about respecting those that gave up everything for the idea of freedom. You can disagree with anything you want in America because you are free to do so. You don’t have to blindly agree with everything our government does, has done, or will do in the future. In fact it is your job as a citizen to question them, all of them, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, just because your “guy” or “gal” is in charge doesn’t mean they get a free pass to do whatever they want. I read a lot. I’ve read so many stories about incredibly brave men and women from all kinds of backgrounds that I know strength has nothing to do with race, gender, age, sexuality, or physical ability. I can’t do a push up, but I’m the strongest person you might ever meet. Or not.

To call me strong is easy. You see a wheelchair, think about how much it must suck, how sad or depressed you would be if it happened to you, and then label me as strong because I have a smile on my face. That isn’t strength, it is survival. I only have so many days left on Earth. It could be 1 more day or 10,000 more days, but I’m not going to waste them feeling sorry for myself about things I can’t change. Want to know real strength?? Go talk with the mother of 3 young children who’s husband is in harms way serving our country 6,494 miles from home. Yes I googled the distance from Charlotte, NC to Fallujah, Iraq. Keeping it real on FknBucky.

The families of our heroes need to be remembered on this Memorial Day as well. A friend of mine growing up lost her brother who was serving the USA when he was killed in a helicopter accident. I don’t know if she reads this blog or not, but I dedicate today’s blog to her brother and their family. His name is John Kaye and he was a hero. I bring it up to let her know a lot of people acknowledge the huge sacrifice he made to make sure the rest of us are safe and free. I didn’t know him well on a personal level, but I vow to never forget his name or sacrifice.

It is easy to forget the real reason for Memorial Day, but the families left behind to try and make sense of it all don’t have the luxury to forget. Commenting on a Meme in between beers 2 and 3 is not honoring those that gave their life in defense of our country. You don’t have to agree with the war, the military, or any of it, but you must understand these individuals believed in America enough to die for it. The sadness and the loss never really go away. It is impossible to understand the pain associated with loss like that unless you’ve been through it. We all hope you don’t experience that kind of grief.

Memorial Day is more than brats on a grill. More than having your first beer at 9 AM. It is important to take a few minutes, look around your life, and appreciate all that you have. Regardless of the hardships you have going on in your life, you are still here with the opportunity to change your life. The opportunity to read a book, start a business, have a family, or anything else you would like to do. Those that gave up their lives so we could be free don’t have the opportunity to do any of those things. Show your respect by living a full life. Chase your dreams. Hold those you love and tell them you love them often.

I’m very sorry that John Kaye lost his life serving our country. He was way too young and I know how much his sister and family loved him. He is missed by many and never forgotten. So remember him today, remember all of our fallen heroes, and don’t forget to honor the families that have lost their brother, son, Uncle, sister, daughter, or Aunt. Those labels came long before we called men like John a soldier, a Marine, a sailor, or any of the other terms used to describe service members.

I try to write about things that are meaningful and tell some jokes along the way. With a country so divided I hope that regardless of where you fall left or right you can take a moment to remember a hero that didn’t give his life to democrats or republicans. He gave his life for Americans. The least you can do is spend the day being just that. An American. An American that can see all the good we do together as a country. You have 364 other days to hate and trash the USA. Just for today drink your beers, eat the brats, and embrace the idea of freedom so many brave men and women died for.

FknBucky

Read * Think * Live Free




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