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WITandWISDOM(tm) - December 28, 2005 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. - Norman R. Augustine Source: Inspire, http://www.inspirelist.com/ ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Pregnancy is never easy. When your spouse is away, it can be even more difficult. For my new family, 1999 was a bustling year. Not only had I married my husband, George, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, but we were also expecting our first child. Several months into our marriage and into my pregnancy, George came up on orders to go to Kuwait for a one-year tour. I was devastated. Although I wanted him to be at home with me, I knew that he had a job to do and that he was needed in Kuwait. This is the life of a military wife. As my due date approached, it became overwhelmingly obvious that George was not going to be granted his request for leave. I would have to give birth without him. My due date came and went. At a routine examination, I was told that I was in labor and that I needed to get to the hospital immediately. On the drive to the hospital I fought with uncooperative DSN lines, trying unsuccessfully to get a hook flash to Camp Doha where George was stationed. My husband was not even going to know that his daughter was being born. I also made a quick phone call to my mother, who was at home with my younger sister. Once at the hospital, my labor progressed quite rapidly, and my older sister, who had accompanied me, manned the camera. I wanted George to be able to share in the experience of birth, even if he could not be there in person. We were well on our way when the door to the delivery room flew open - and in walked George. Fate had smiled upon him, and, at the last moment, he had been granted his leave pass. He had flown for over sixteen hours on an AMC flight from Kuwait. After arriving at my mother's house and getting word that his daughter was being born, he quickly rushed to the hospital. George joined me for one last push, and we welcomed our daughter Kaylee into the world, together. Every nurse on the labor-and-delivery floor was in tears at this act of love. By the next morning the entire hospital knew about the soldier who, by the grace of God, flew across the world in the nick of time. “Pregnancy” by Michele Putman (c) 1999 from Chicken Soup for the Military Wife's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Charles Preston and Cindy Pedersen. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved. Visit us and read other sample stories and meet the authors. http://www.chickensoup.com Source: America In Uniform, http://www.beliefnet.com/user/newsletter_choose.asp ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: A Well Planned Life? Two women met for the first time since graduating from high school. One asked the other, "You were always so organized in school, Did you manage to live a well planned life?" 'Yes," said her friend. "My first marriage was to a millionaire; my second marriage was to an actor; my third marriage was to a preacher; and now I'm married to an undertaker." Her friend asked, "What do those marriages have to do with a well planned life?" "One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go. Submitted by Orvie Jensen ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: Now that Ohio State University won this year's football game over their huge rival, Michigan, this story appears... The source is, of course, from an OSU fan! One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?" "It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?" He yelled back, "Go Michigan." "Use hot water, a box of Tide and four cups of bleach." Source: Monday Fodder mailto:daveaufrance@gmail.com?Subject=Subscribe_Monday_Fodder http://www.fishermansnet.com/monday-fodder/ ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: My husband's nursery had received a substantial order for bare- root trees for a reforestation project. It was shipped out. But a few days later, a reorder arrived. Puzzled, Harry called to ask if the original shipment had been received. The foreman assured him it had. It seems the men were unable to finish the planting before the weekend and, because they were in a remote area, had placed the remaining bare-root trees in the creek. When they returned on Monday morning, the trees were gone. They searched the surrounding area and came across them a short distance down the creek. Beavers were industriously building their new home with their windfall discovery. Source: Top Greetings