Survival Through Support!

In the past, for every week my son was overseas, I would send him a care package containing a fresh batch of homemade cookies, in addition to some combination of toiletries, crafts, and various other goodies. My goal was simply to help him and his battle buddies get through their deployment by offering amusing (and sometimes juvenile) distractions. However, I discovered along the way that the activity of pulling these packages together helped me to get through the ordeal as well. Further more, by combining my love of cookie baking with my love of writing, I was able to compose the book 52 Weeks of Cookies!

This book has allowed me to share my story as the mother of a Soldier who was serving on the front lines of Iraq, as well as my philosophy:

Cookie Baking = Survival = Support.

However, for Buddy’s fifth (though first as a pilot) deployment, I decided to take the concept of “Cookie Baking = Support” one step further. Basically, I intend to use this website to share my current experiences; specifically the experiences of helping my son and his flight buddies get through their deployment. Through this medium I will share my weekly thoughts, as well as various recipes and a brief description of the current care package. Generally speaking, each week or so over the next (roughly) twelve months, I hope to adhere to the following framework:

• I will maintain an online journal of my thoughts and experiences as the mother of a soldier — a weekly update regarding how the deployment is proceeding (and/or my sanity is ebbing) — a sort of 52 Weeks of Cookies (the book) redux.
• I will provide a recipe for the treat I will be sending in that week’s care package. Even though the title of this website suggests otherwise, I am hoping to expand my homemade treats beyond cookies.
• For those who are interested, I will also provide a list of what other little goodies I have found to include.
• Once a month (or so), I hope to provide an Arts & Crafts type project for those of us waiting at home needing something to do with our hands (and nervous energy). In the past, I have discovered that, not only does it please the troops to get these homemade ditties, but that it is amazingly therapeutic to pour oneself into this type of activity to help maintain calm during an otherwise stressful and anxious period.

It has never been lost on me that I am not alone in my situation. I know that there are other mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, grandmas and grandpas, who know the constant worry and feelings of trepidation – peppered with moments of intense fear – that are the result of having a loved one deployed. It is my hope that this website will provide an outlet for them; a place to escape to, provide activities to help pass the time, a place to share thoughts and experiences, but most of all, a place of survival through support.