A SOWW Valentine: This Is What Love Looks Like!

SOWW President, Shirley Dominick, gives a hug to one of our Willing Warriors

It's Valentine's Day, so let's get right to the heart of the matter:

Every Day is Valentine's Day at Serve Our Willing Warriors!

At SOWW, we are so blessed because we get to witness Love in Action every single day!  

What we regularly observe isn't the traditional gift of flowers and a box of chocolates. 

(Although we really, really like flowers and chocolate!)

Instead, we have the privilege of witnessing all manner of different expressions of love that come gift wrapped in the time, talents and donations of our community of volunteers. 

(On a DAILY basis!)

So here is our version of a Valentine's Day card:

THIS is what Love looks like at Serve Our Willing Warriors.

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .  

Hosting a cookout for our Wounded, Ill and Injured Warriors at one of the nearby hospitals.

. . . Or hosting a dinner prepared by a local chef at The Bull Run Warrior Retreat!

. . . Or a holiday dinner for Willing Warriors + Their Families

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . . 

Applause for our Willing Warriors!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

Much-needed Sponsorship!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

A special activity shared with Warriors!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .  

Something Furry!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

Our children volunteering!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

Construction & maintenance on our "Home Away From Home" retreat for veterans!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

A warm and fuzzy blanket to give to a hospitalized Warrior.

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

Making new SOWW friends!

. . .  And laughing so hard it hurts.

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

Fundraising!

. . . Or Singing!

. . . Or writing a love letter in the form of a note of gratitude!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

A hospital gurney full of Christmas gifts to hand out at a Veterans' hospital!

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

The face of a WWII Veteran.

Sometimes Love Looks Like . . .

Arranging for a Willing Warrior Family to spend a holiday together at The Bull Run Warrior Retreat!

(Or arranging for Santa to make a guest appearance!)

  

  

Yep!  This is definitely what Love Looks Like!

Happy Valentines Day!

(Now go share the LOVE!)

And Magically, A New Year Begins!

2015 closed in a glorious way . . .

With a lovely full moon during Christmastide!

(The first in almost forty years!)

     

      I saw the glimmering moon peeking over the hillside of the Bull Run Warrior Retreat as I was driving by, just before twilight.  The sight was so breathtaking that I had to pull over to take a picture with my cell phone.

     It was both stunning and serene to stand at the foot of the driveway and watch "La Luna" rising slowly, centered between the entrance's stone pillars. Knowing that we had a Willing Warrior Family spending their holiday together, snug inside the retreat's house made the moment even more beautiful.  A peaceful retreat -- the epitome of a perfect Christmas gift.

Truly A Magical Moment!

So here's to 2016 . . .  

May it be magical for you and yours; 

May it radiate with the warmth known as "Home" all year long!

Happy New Year from All of Us at Serve Our Willing Warriors!

As we celebrate this Holy Season we can truly say 

that the best gifts are the ones you give to others.

It is with grateful hearts that we thank 

all of our SOWW volunteers, sponsors & supporters 

for giving so much of your time, talents and finances. 

Your support made it possible to open the doors to

The Bull Run Warrior Retreat;

"A Home Away From Home" 

For our Willing Warriors + Their Families.

Today a Willing Warrior Family is enjoying Christmas together in this 

beautiful retreat home and bucolic setting because of you!

God bless you, your home, and your loved ones.

From All of Us at Serve Our Willing Warriors.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Bull Run Warrior Retreat Hosts Its First Thanksgiving for Willing Warriors + Their Families!

Thanksgiving!

The quintessential American holiday!

The very name evokes instantaneous & universal images of 

food, football, friends & family. 

It is a day that we all do everything we can to be "Home" to savor those blessings.

 This Thanksgiving, the Bull Run Warrior Retreat hosted it's first Thanksgiving Dinner for a large number of our Willing Warriors + Their Families.

The retreat house became "Home" for the day for these amazing American families who have served our nation so well. 

Folks filled up every area of the 11,000 square foot house.

Children played games together -- inside and out!

Of course, the kids were not the only ones playing outside. 

The backyard was filled with flying footballs + Willing Warriors!

The kitchen was also a flurry of activity as the intoxicating smells associated with Thanksgiving Day wafted into the rest of the house.

Our Thanksgiving Event coordinator, Sheila Tomlinson, 

was very "hands on" throughout the day.

(Wow! She coordinates and cooks!  What a gal!)

Numerous SOWW volunteers spent the day cooking and prepping to bring the feast together in the Bull Run Warrior Retreat's state-of-the-art kitchen.

Finally Chef Larry proclaimed that "dinner was ready"!

Our collection of cooks prepared the buffet as SOWW President, Shirley Dominick, snapped a few photos of our guests of honor  before welcoming them to their

"Home Away From Home" for Thanksgiving.

But before the feasting began, 

there was some genuine 'thanksgiving'.

Veterans from different generations shared the things they were thankful for, reminding us all of the many blessings we have to be grateful for in this country and our way of life.

After the guests had finished sharing their heartfelt thanks, 

SOWW Vice President, John Dominick, said grace before the meal.

Then everyone made their way to the kitchen buffet to partake of the feast!

Joining us at the tables were Veterans from both WWII and Viet Nam.

How blessed we were to have the fellowship of 

inter-generational Willing Warriors + Families!

This is what a real Thanksgiving looks like!

Once the eating abated (for a time) there was, of course, 

more football.

On this special "Thanksgiving 2015", we are incredibly thankful for our SOWW partners and volunteers who have made The Bull Run Warrior Retreat a reality and a tangible means of

"Saying Thanks"

To Our Willing Warriors + Their Families!

For their ceaseless service to our country, 

we give thanks!

To all our wonderful SOWWers  out there . . .
May your Thanksgiving weekend be filled with 
Family & Friends . . . 

. . . Feasting & Fun . . .

. . . And the Warmth & Love of "Home".

Happy Thanksgiving From All of Us at Serve Our Willing Warriors!

This Veteran's Day: Let's Appreciate Our Family Treasures

In my home I have a glass curio cabinet filled with little treasures.

They are not expensive pieces, but they are priceless to me.

One of my favorite items is an old tattered, knotted string that holds

my grandfather's dog tags from World War I. 

I pick these dog tags up from time to time and think about what they have been through.

I think about what my grandfather went through . . . 

How it affected him . . . 

. . . How it affected his family . . .

. . . And how that generation of Veterans affected the entire world!

My grandfather posing in his military uniform (above) and photographed with fellow soldiers (below).  

Circa 1917.

I, too, have my own pair of dog tags. 

Not because I have served in the military, but because my father was in the Air Force.  

I only ever knew my father as an Air Force man.

It wasn't until I was a teenager that I found out that my father had served in the Army during World War II.

Over the years I have sorted through old boxes of family photos and have found more and more pictures of my father during his Army days.

I am always struck by how young he was when he was shipped off to Europe.

My father asleep on his cot (above) and sitting on the left corner of the truck (below).

I look at these photos and examine those young faces

who answered the call of their nation.

They were the Willing Warriors of their time;

Willing to undergo and overcome the horrors of war so that 

we and our allies could keep our precious freedoms.

These are the faces of soldiers who never thought of themselves as heroes.

And yet, they are the true history-makers.

I hold my grandfather's dog tags in my hand and feel such gratitude for our Veterans.

From every generation.

Then.

And Now!

They are Our Fathers and Sons, 

Our Mothers and Daughters, 

Our Sisters and Brothers.

They are our Our Treasures!

Be sure to take time to appreciate them today.

For we need to appreciate them every day.