Explore. Dream. Discover: "How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!"

I must admit, I've always loved stories of survival; stories of overcoming insurmountable odds; stories of defying science; stories of inspiration. I've read books and watched movies like Between a Rock and a Hard Place (the book the movie 127 Hours is based on), Soul Surfer, Iron Heart, The Help, The Long Run, and The Gift of Valor. The last of which I first heard about from a different book entitled Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital. The progression from general survival stories to those associated with the military coincided with my move to Virginia Beach - a community greatly infiltrated with military bases, service members and their families. Although a smaller community, the military community here in Monterey has also continued my interest in what it means to be a service member, what motivates one to join the military, what it's like to support a loved one in the military, and how it changes an individual.

I would say the book that really provided me insight was The Heart and the Fist: The making of a Navy SEAL, the education of a humanitarian. This book has also challenged me to determine how I can best show my support for the men and women that maintain safety, security, and peace for us here at home. The author of The Heart and the Fist currently runs a non-profit organization to support returning veterans with injuries and disabilities who often feel a loss of purpose when they can no longer serve or work in the capacity they once had. This organization is called The Mission Continues, and it is definitely worth a look! This is something I want to contribute to, but there were not many opportunities in my current location so I continued to search the internet. What I found were organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project, the Boot Campaign, and Soldiers' Angels.

Soldiers' Angles was exactly what I was looking for. A plethora of tangible ways to support the troops. I do not have the funds to adopt a soldier, but I found the letter writing team and joined immediately! I have signed up to receive one soldier's name each week and commit to writing him or her at least once. I have already sent off three letters and have even received a couple emails back :) It has been amazing to know that I am supporting a service member by simply sharing my life with him/her and him/her me. It has shown me how such a simple task, such a writing a brief letter or email, can continue to inspire and motivate a service member thousands of miles away; to remind him/her of the reason he does what he does; to know that there are appreciative people continuing to support their efforts. Please check out the website and determine how you can help: making a fleece blanket, sending in products for hygiene packages, sewing, writing letters or emails, and so much more. There is not only a need to support deployed service members, but an increasing need for support for returning veterans, especially those injured during duty. Please find some way to help even if it is a one time contribution! Please leave a comment if you have a favorite non-profit organization we should all check out.

Below are products that I recommend purchasing in an effort to show your support for our troops: