When is the right time to honor our military heroes? By Jordan Beach

This was written by Miss Jordan Beach who won first place in her district and is going to be entered in the state competition for the following essay.  This young lady has written from her heart with an amazing insight that most fourteen-year-olds don’t possess.  I am very proud and honored to post her amazing essay on my website! 

Jade 

When I first heard about this topic I became excited. It got me thinking, “When is the right time to honor our military heroes?” Suddenly I remembered something that happened that made me realize that I might lose my step-father in the war in the name of freedom. I was with my step-father in an airport one day and he was wearing his uniform. A man he did not know approached him. He stood before him, stuck his hand out and shook my step-father’s hand. He thanked him for everything he did for this country. At that moment my heart filled with pride and I realized for the first time what my step-father was doing for this country. I also realized that I had taken it all for granted and that he could lose his life defending what I have come to expect as a normal and regular thing in my life…freedom to have what I want, to make the choices I want, and to say whatever I want. 

My step-father is currently at war. He fights for everyone’s freedom. He fights alongside others fighting for their right to be free. He may not know them and they may not know him, but still he fights. Most of these people are thankful. He deserves to be thanked. All soldiers, veterans, everyone who might serve deserve to be honored. Everyone who sacrificed their life for freedom deserves to be honored. They died for their country but they did not die in vain. Yes, they suffered, and yes, their families have grieved, but they live on through memories. This country is proud and courageous and has been protected and defended by thousands of soldiers and some have died for it. 

This country is free. I feel the time to honor them is now and every day. It’s expressed by saying “hello” to soldiers who live on. It is seeing their family and saying “thank you” for their service and perhaps even their sacrifice. Don’t they deserve it? Don’t the men and women who served need to see that their fallen friends are remembered and honored always? I think yes. Now is the time, each and every day forever. America could get by without one man or maybe even hundreds, but one could be the difference between freedom and oppression. We need our soldiers, our heroes. 

Jordan Beach 

God Bless America….

It’s been awhile since I blogged, I guess it takes me some time to collect a thought.  Well, I have collected one complete thought and it’s about the whole health care blah, blah, blah.  I had health insurance almost two years ago and it was great!  Hospitals and doc’s treated you like royalty!  Then the bottom fell out of my world, I lost my health and I lost my ability to go back to work because of my health.  Bottom line…also lost my health insurance.

How did losing my health insurance affect me?  All my doctors dropped me like a hot rock, they sent me nice letters and all but they couldn’t treat me any more because I couldn’t pay.  The last time I was hospitalized I was treated like pond scum.  I overheard the nurses talking as they were leaving my room that I needed a certain test, but the hospital wasn’t going to do it because I had no insurance.  And this is America!!??  We don’t take care of our own anymore.  It seems to me that we will take care of the new people coming to America, set them up in business, give them health care, money, low-interest rates etc. but what about us??

I am an American, bred here, born here and will die here.  I want to know why my country has decided that I am expendable?  Just because I can no longer exist in the workplace does not mean that I still can’t be a productive member of the United States of America!

It has been almost two years since I applied for disability.  I am fighting to get the money that I have paid into our Government for all the years that I was able to work.  Now my America sees me as a cast off, I’ve fallen through the cracks of political red-tape, and now I am invisible.

Does anyone out there agree?  Am I the only one seeing an awful pattern creeping into our mindset? 

Years ago I was an activist, now I am too tired and too sick to put up much of a fight about our health care system, but I can tell you from first hand experience that it SUCKS!  Last yeas SS sent me to a head doc because I was depressed.  I’ll never forget sitting in a chair while this 20-something head doc asked me questions.  She asked me if I was in fact depressed.  I looked at her straight in the eyes and told her; “If you just lost your health, your job, your home and your insurance wouldn’t you be depressed?”  She just looked at me with this dumb look on her face.  Her diagnosis…I was suffering from depression.  Ya think?  Sheesh.

I know that I am not alone with what I’m going through.  I know that there are many, many others out there just like me fighting for what belongs to them, yet getting nowhere fast, falling through political cracks, and dying before they ever see a dime of their money.  It’s just a damn shame, and the shame needs to be placed on America.  My country tis of thee has abandoned me in my time of need. 

And the words crafted into the Statue of Liberty?  That’s all they are…words, meaningless words.

Oh yeah!  We welcome newcomers with open arms!  But us old-time disabled Americans are now hidden away like a crazed relative while our government makes it increasingly difficult for any of us to exist.  And they lay in wait…waiting for us to die, so they can save the money to bail out corporate America by way of banks and auto companies etc.  Somewhere in the back of my memory banks I remember a flag that we used to fly, I believe it said “Don’t Tread on Me.”

Well I have been tread on, drug through a bush backwards and discarded like yesterday’s garbage…

My hope is that a common man or woman will rise up and lead us again, it’s been too long and we are overdue. 

God Bless America…

No Matter Where You Go – There You Are!

Welcome and thanks for stopping by my site!  It’s interesting how far I’ve had to go with my writing.  Back in 2002 my blah, blah, blah’s were sitting in a drawer.  Then came the self-publishing craze and I did that.  Then I realized a couple of things:  The only one making any money was the publisher and that nobody took you seriously as a writer, because let’s face it, anyone can publish anything no matter the quality.

Ok, so we stopped being self-published and found someone who loved my storytelling ability and promised me a handful of moonbeams and a butt -load of thunderbolts and guess what?  They took the money and ran. 

So now here I am full circle, except my writings aren’t sitting in a drawer.  There are no more of my books in print.  They are only available on disc through EBay.  Are my creations good enough for you to spend your hard-earned money on?  Absolutely!  I don’t write about the same stuff, all three of my babies are different. 

So go ahead and read a sample chapter and let me know what you think.  I look forward to the feedback!  And for all you aspiring writers out there, if I can help save you from the heartache and headache’s that I have had to endure then please either respond to my blog or email me with any questions.

I look forward to hearing from y’all!

Jade