A Place For Heroes

Dear Friends & Family,

I am sitting on a hill overlooking Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC where there are 240,000 service members buried. People who were courageous and brave in life then buried here in honor after their death. As Corbin and I continue to tour Washington DC, we visit many monuments and memorials. The Vietnam Memorial honors 58,000 veterans who lost their lives during the war. The World War II Memorial honors 16 million Americans who served and 400,000 who died in the War. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honors 17,000 officers who were killed in the line of duty. The Air Force Memorial honors millions of men and women who have served our country. Washington DC is filled with memorials, monuments, museums and buildings honoring heroes. It was an honor to visit these sites and remember the people who served and/or died for our country.

While touring the city, I often wondered, shouldn't there be a place for the regular guys to be honored after death? A place for the men who are great fathers, great employees, great sons; the heroes among us. These are the people that make life worth living too, they smile when you are down and lend a hand when you need help. I picture a memorial site high on a hill so people could continue to look up to them. It would be open to men, women, and children; anyone who has touched the life of another would be honored. The memorial would be filled with stories of friendship and inspiration and surrounded by the greenest grass with trees shading the sometimes intense sun. It would be peaceful; no airplanes flying over or trains roaring by. Families would sit together or play together, peace and harmony would abound throughout all the visitors as they shared stories of the “everyday heroes.”  This memorial is simply a thought of mine and may never come to be; meanwhile I will continue to honor my everyday heroes by thanking them personally, now, while they are here with us on earth. As you all know, Curt is my #1 hero, always has been and will forever be.

Being away from Curt last week was really tough. I missed him so much and knowing that the time we have left together is limited, made it even tougher. But the trip renewed my energy, allowed me to spend precious one on one time with Corbin and gave me a chance to really miss Curt. My thoughts were on him constantly and as they say “absence makes the heart grow fonder” (if that is possible). I was surrounded by wonderful caring friends on the trip as Curt was at home. I will never forget the places, people and memories of Washington DC with Corbin and his 6th grade class, nor will I forget the feeling of being away from my everyday hero; the guy who lights up my life each day.

Curt's health continues to steadily decline. He is in bed more than he is up. His appetite is pretty non-existent and he is limited to soft foods, pureed foods and soup. He has no strength in his legs and can barely move his hand to drive his wheelchair. His speech is barely intelligible in the morning, when he is tired and if he has had a drink or two. Although we try to listen carefully, we often have to ask him to repeat himself. He rarely wants to leave the house, if he does, a quick lunch out or errand will send him home to nap for a few hours. Still, his attitude is positive. He is cheerful most of the time and continues to be a great father and husband. The kids are doing fine. They are great to help wherever and whenever needed. They bring joy to Curt and provide life and energy to our home. We are so proud that they have continued to be great students and keep active social schedules. As a family, we are cherishing our time together more than ever. We also cherish our friends and prayer warriors. Thank you for supporting our family. And thank you Steve Gallie for writing the blog last week, you are very inspiring and your compliments were so nice, we apprecaite all you do for our family.

Love,
Cindy, Curt, Clarissa, Cayden & Corbin

Secretary's Day - Thanks for working so hard for us, you guys are the best!

Cayden asked Paige to Prom with a big homemade sign and flowers. She said "Yes!"

While we were in DC Curt spent a few days in The Hospice Home. He said it was a nice break from home and he was well taken care of.
 Jim, Colleen, Chloe and Paige visited him and brought a nice dinner (and a nightcap)!

Kelli, Larry, Debbie and Mark visited Curt for Sunday Fun Day at The Hospice House.
Dinner and drinks (what's in those red cups)?

The guys stopped by when Curt got home. Larry, Bill, Bill, Cayden & Ray
Is Curt's smile awesome or what?

Before meeting up with Corbin's 6th grade class we spent a day in Hershey, Pennsylvania with Carolyn and Lauryn. We toured Hershey's Chocolate World!

Corbin, Lauryn, Lucy & Ethel got to make custom candy bars!

Touring the Amish Country. We visited the cities of Intercourse and Bird In Hand.

Every house had massive clothes lines!

Corbin's Classmates at the Lincoln Memorial

Although the schedule was packed with touring in DC, Corbin & I had a lot
of tender moments, he really opened up and shared his feelings about Curt.
It was great to have quality time with him in the midst of the trip.