How Charity Sunday works: for every comment made on this blog post, I will donate money to the charity named. The same promise is made for every blog site listed in the group–click the Linky Links link at the bottom of this post to see the list of participants and read/comment on any of them to see a donation go to that blogger’s charity. We’re all different! Thanks for your help and your participation!
This month I’d like to highlight Hire Heroes USA, an organization that helps military separated from the service find jobs. Wounded warriors often worry about how they will support their families as much as their getting well. And members who retire from the service sometimes find what they were trained for and excel at, are skills not suited for civilian needs.
One of the things I really like is that they also help military spouses find work. I remember the years when my mom was unable to find a decent job as we moved from base to base because in military areas it’s well-known that the service member will be transferred after 2-3 years. It’s hard to blame employers because who wants to train someone who has a good chance of leaving in a short time. Yet, often the military spouse is the one left at home during deployments with the responsibility of being main support for the family. It’s hard to do that without a job.
The mission of Hire Heroes USA is this: “Hire Heroes USA empowers U.S. military members, veterans and military spouses to succeed in the civilian workforce.” The story of how Hire Heroes USA started is inspiring. This charity has earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator four years in a row, so I know it’s a safe bet that our donation will reach the intended people. Please comment and help send me send the best donation!
My feature book is Burning Bridges (Anne Krist). In it, Paul Steinert left the Navy but he didn’t need a job—he returned to the family farm when his dad got sick. He didn’t regret going home, but he did love the Navy, and he can hardly be farther from the sea and ships than in Iowa! In this excerpt, Paul has discovered he has a gown daughter he never knew in South Carolina and he’s decided to move there in order to get to know her. He’s just told his brother and his wife.
The moment Paul dreaded most had just passed, explaining to Mark and Becca why he had to leave. Mark had been shocked speechless. Becca had surprised Paul with her calm acceptance, almost as though she’d expected him to come home with such news.
“Are you sure about this? I thought you just needed a break to clear the air between you and Sara, get the past out of your system. I didn’t really think…” Mark looked confused.
Paul knew how he felt. The last couple of days had proven to be life changing and he hadn’t been prepared, himself. Taking the farm responsibility fully onto his shoulders would certainly be as life altering for Mark.
“The restlessness you noticed in me wasn’t just Sara’s visit, although that’s what set it off. Seeing her made me remember being young and having dreams. I was never cut out to be a farmer, Mark, never wanted to be one. You know that.”
Mark nodded. “You always had an over-defined sense of duty. We needed you when Dad got sick and you came.” He looked down to smooth his thumb across a worn spot on the table, evidence of all the years that same place had been rubbed. “I’ve always been grateful to you. I know you gave up a lot, and I don’t know what would have happened otherwise. I guess I just thought you stayed because you wanted to.”
“I never resented being here, never. But when you and Becca got married—” he smiled at his sister-in-law, “—I should have left. I always found some excuse not to, but it’s time now. It won’t be long before Luke brings home a girl and starts the next generation of Steinerts. I don’t want to wait until it’s too late and I have no choice but to hang on here.”
“If I’d known you were unhappy—”
“I wasn’t, not at all. I was too damn lazy, or too much a coward maybe, to do what I knew I should have. Now I’ve been pushed into making a decision, and there’s only one right choice.”
He stared hard at Mark. “I don’t want you to think I went to bed every night thinking about Sara or woke up every day wishing I was someplace else. That’s not the way it was at all. I haven’t been unhappy, not like you mean. I’ve loved the years working with you and Luke. I really have. And I think we’ve done Dad proud.”
Without a word, Becca got up and went to the living room.
Paul spoke to his brother in a low voice. “You said that I had a sense of duty. That’s not true, Mark. I probably should have stayed home instead of joining the Navy. You were too young to handle much, and I knew Dad wanted me here. But I wanted to go and I found a way that no one could get too angry about. I used duty to country as a way to escape duty to family.”
“Paul, that’s not the way Dad or any of us saw it, you know that. He hated that you went to Vietnam, but he was proud of you. God, you should have seen his face whenever a letter came.”
Tears filled Paul’s eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. “I tried to make up for it by coming home when he asked. Tried to clean up the mess I’d made of my life for him, when I wouldn’t do it for myself. But Mark, I failed the woman I said I loved. I had an obligation to Sara and myself to find out what happened, to make sure she was all right. Because I didn’t, Paula grew up without knowing who I am, who she is. I can’t let her live the rest of her life like that. But I hate like hell leaving you with everything so suddenly.”
Mark’s face filled with determination. “Don’t worry about it. Luke and I can handle things, and that Lintz boy has been asking about whether we have any work. Maybe he’ll hire on when we need extra hands.” He gave a soft chuckle. “On the bright side, Luke’ll miss you like hell, but he’ll love moving out of the house and into your place. It’s just out back, but to him it’ll be like living in town.”
Paul laughed too, then studied his hands, folded on the table. When he looked up, it was to find his brother silently examining him.
“You might not have been unhappy exactly, but you were lonely, weren’t you?”
“What kind of question is that to ask?” Paul squirmed in his seat, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I’ll tell you this. If I was lonely, it was for something I didn’t even realize. I want you to know, Mark, I’ve never envied you, except maybe in the general sense. That you had a good wife and family, sure, but I never begrudged you Becca or Luke.”
He snorted a soft laugh. “In fact, I never truly understood what you must have felt, having a child, holding him, seeing his features change to resemble your own, being proud. No one on the outside can understand it. But when I looked up and saw Paula—”
His voice broke and it took a beat for him to continue. “It’s irrational, but true. I didn’t even know her and I loved her. For one moment, my heart broke. I was a father, and finally I knew some small part of what you must feel when you look at Luke. Except I’d missed it all, her whole life. I have so much lost time to make up for. So much of her to learn.”
“While you’re getting to know your daughter, you might remember that you once loved her mother. Maybe she hasn’t changed so much as you think. You’re not old, Paul. There’s no reason on God’s green earth for you to be alone.”
Paul nodded. “I know, but I think too much time has passed. Sara’s a bridge I’ve already burned. This move isn’t about the two of us.”
He recalled the night they’d shared, when he thought he’d grabbed a piece of the past and things could be worked out. When what mattered in life could be found in her arms.
Maybe two nights were all he’d ever have with her. One night to create a daughter and another to discover her. Two nights weren’t much, but they’d been more than enough to set the world spinning in new directions.
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