May 14th is Mother’s Day! House in the Woods Military and Family Retreat would like to wish each Mom and Grandmother….a very, very happy Mother’s Day.

You are the boo-boo fixer, the referee between siblings, the one who knows how to cook their favorite meal just the way they love it. The nurturer, the shoulder to cry on and the first to cheer on and encourage your child’s choices. The Mom who gives the best hugs and is often the only one who “really gets it”.

You mend broken hearts, advise on career choices and lovingly tell the child when he or she “may want to change” the outfit they have on before going out in public!!

You can pick out their voice or laughter with 30 classmates all talking at once and you know by the tone of each cry what their immediate needs are. You are the one your child seeks when she comes running through the door and yells, “Mom where are you?” The love between a mother and child cannot be replaced…ever!!

You are among the blessed to have the title of Mother.!

                          Woman, Soldier, Mom

A Military Mom simply wants to hold her child on Mother’s Day…and every day! It takes a special woman to remain steadfast as she leaves for deployment while serving her country. One who has made this choice for a career knowing she’s doing this for her children and for her country.

Those of us who have never lived through that “one last hug” before leaving cannot honestly know what it is like. What possibly goes through her mind as she has played all potential scenarios over and over in her head? A woman who stepped up to serve her country and prays for Skype and Facetime or texting to have a few precious moments with her little one.

If you are able to spend the day with your mother please take a few moments to remember the young mothers who are Military Moms, especially the moms who are on deployment away from their toddlers, teens and adult kids.

 

Think of the sacrifices these women make and the degree of commitment they have in serving our country. Keep them in your prayers. Too often we civilians forget about our country’s men and women who serve if we do not live near a military base, running into military personnel in uniform at the supermarket or a school event for your child. Please keep in mind the women who make this noble choice, do so on a volunteer basis. They have made that life-altering decision to become a defender of our country. Their lives are completely different than those of civilians mothers, yet they still love being a mother. Instead of judging them, as some often do, I ask that you try to put yourself in their boots for one day. Respect and honor all the sacrifices they have made for you and your children.

Today we sincerely want to thank all the military mothers who serve our country both here and abroad.  Leaving for a faraway land must be so difficult , but the homecoming has got to be the best moment you experience. That one second when you first spot your child and realize you can finally hold him or her again.  Most civilians don’t understand what you endure, but we definitely want to thank you as you truly are a Special Mom. We pray for you and your family daily~

Proud of all our Navy, Army, Marine, and Coast Guard women.

 

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day to each armed services Mom!!

 

 

Thank you for your service and your sacrifices.

 

During World War I, military families started a tradition of hanging a small banner in the windows of their homes. The banner had a white background, a red border and one blue star for each family member in the military. If a family member died in service, a gold star replaced the blue. That gold star has become a simple, cherished symbol of a loved one lost in combat, a parent’s way to hold tight a child’s memory.

Gold Star Mothers is an organization of mothers who have lost a son or daughter in the service of our country. This is a Veterans Service Organization, established in 1928 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1984. American Gold Star Mothers continue to honor their sons and daughters through service — service to veterans and patriotic events.

It is with the most honorable and highest respect with which we hold the Gold Star Mothers. Throughout history many of us have come to know of or are related to a woman who has lost a son or daughter to combat. With each Mother’s Day that passes, their loss tugs even stronger at the heart of the mother. We ask that you continue to pray for these mothers whose son or daughter made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, for it is these women who can no longer hold their child, laugh with him/her or take a quiet stroll on the beach with them.

Is the Gold Star Mother that friend or relative working endlessly to support our troops? Is she the one who volunteers to send packages to our troops on deployment or write letters of gratitude and encouragement to the young men and women serving our country? Is this woman the one standing next to you at the Memorial Day Parade, waving her small American flag with tears in her eyes?

You can be supportive of this very special mother by asking how you can help her with her mission. Give her a warm hug and tell her how sorry you are for her loss. It will give you the opportunity to get to know her and respect all that she has endured. You will certainly bring a smile to her face when you say “can I help you with that?”

 

A Gold Star Mother Shares

Deanna House, Mother of a Fallen Hero and Director of Administrative Services at House in the Woods Military & Family Retreat, lost her son Sgt.Joel A. House, KIA Iraq June 23, 2007. Joel was 22 years old and Dee was 47 on that fateful day…the day of her birthday.

Dee is a quiet woman when first you are in her presence. But under that soft, gracious demeanor lies an extremely intelligent, well-educated individual with a loving fierceness when it comes to family, our combat wounded, active military and all veterans.

Dee is a Gold Star Mother who is on a mission to help other veterans. She is here is to honor Joel and she does this every day of her life. The following is penned by Joel’s Mom….Deanna House:

Portrait of Sgt. Joel A. House by Michael Reagan

 Michael Reagan was a young man in the 1960’s, old enough to go to Vietnam.  He had graduated from a Seattle, Washington High School in 1965 and enlisted in the U.S. Marines.  At 19-years old a fellow Marine bled to death in his arms.  

“He just looked me in the face and said, Mike, I just wanna go home,“  Michael says.

“And he looked at me, closed his eyes and died. Then we covered him with a tarp. I’ve seen that face for 48 years every day.”

After returning from the War, “people spat on me; no one seemed to understand what I’d been through. I felt as if I had dug a hole and buried part of myself in Vietnam”.  

After returning home and holding some unfulfilling jobs, Michael went to art school.  Afterwards he was hired as a computer programming for his school district.  Seattle was quickly becoming an actors’ refuge from Hollywood.  Before long he was meeting celebrities. He offered to draw them two portraits, one for themselves and the other to come back to him autographed.   For years he practiced, getting better and better.  He drew actors, presidents, athletes, etc.

Then the war in Iraq started and casualties began arriving at Dover Air Force Base, Maryland. In 2003 a widow of a fallen corpsman asked Michael to draw a portrait of her husband.  The words of the man who had died in his arms hit him, “Bring me home.”  

When the widow opened the drawing of her husband, tears filled her eyes.  She said;

“I was able to reconnect to him instantly. We talked about things that we hadn’t finished talking about when he died. I ended my conversation with him telling him I loved him.” She said, “I felt him say he loved me back. And for the first time in a year, I’ve slept all night.’”

When Michael hung up the phone, he turned to his wife and said, “Now we need to do them all,” he told her. “Our whole life’s about to change.”

Vincent Santaniello, the young Marine who bled to death in Reagan’s arms, is listed on the Vietnam Memorial.  His parents had passed on when Reagan tracked down Vincent’s nephew Ralph to finally fulfill his friend’s last request. 

Vincent Santaniello, 46 years after that request, had finally arrived home.  Ralph, overcome by the mixture of grief and pride, realized that his uncle had not died in vain. Because of his death, a generation of fallen heroes would live on forever.

 

 

Deanne House: “I didn’t know that story until my art history assignment pushed me to find an art object and relate it to me personally, as well as describe how it fit into the 20th century timeline. 

I have a Michael Reagan portrait of my son, Sgt. Joel A. House who was killed on my 47th birthday, June 23, 2007. Believe me when I say, no mother wants to own a Michael Reagan portrait, and yet, we can’t describe the blessing it is each day to see our sons and daughters picture hanging there, so real looking, with eyes that bite into our hearts, accompanying us through our fields of stolen dreams.

Joel was 22-years old, the youngest of my 3 children.  He was on his second tour of duty with the 2-8 Cavalry.  The 2nd tour was a duty he did not want.  He had been forced to remain in the Army due to the Stop-Loss program.  Like the soldier who died in Reagan’s arms, all Joel wanted was to come home to Lee, Maine and live the rest of his life close to his family, the woods and waterways, and the Maine way of life.  

Our Michael Reagan portrait arrived within a year of Joel’s death. “It was so real,” says my husband. “it was like Joel came alive.” I only saw this photo through a text message at first.

My dreams were coming true for me, and just before Joel was killed, I was hired to teach at a prestigious American school in Monterrey, Mexico. I was going to be only 5 hours from Ft. Hood, TX and planned to drive there to meet him in January of 2008 when he returned to American soil.

Now I was closing up shop on my dream to learn the Spanish language and Mexican culture, a goal that would help me become a better qualified Spanish teacher. I was returning to Lee to help my husband with our memorial scholarship program and with his new mission, to create an outdoor retreat program that would help veterans from all generations come together, relax and share their stories, and maybe leave with a new hunting or fishing story of their own.

We selected the photo of this drawing to represent his memorial scholarship, The Sgt. Joel A. House Summer Camp Fund.  Each summer we help over 50 Maine kids reach for their dreams by helping them to attend an academic, sports, visual/performing arts, conservation, or Bible camp of their choice.  Our hope is that Joel’s ultimate sacrifice will challenge young people to explore the imaginative possibilities of their potential.  Sgt. Joel A. House Summer Camp Fund

During the first few years of the scholarship program, I used to see that image every day as I’d read scholarship applications and as I uploaded changes to the website or Face Book page.  Summer camp just happened to coincide with the anniversary of Joel’s death. 

Seeing Joel’s picture so lifelike, with his mouth expression posed just like he had done in real life, with his eyes that followed me around the room, would set off a quiet crying “jag”, a pity party of one. 

My emotions were all represented in that facial expression:  anger at death, jealousy of those who had not died, who were living their lives, bitterness at life.  Yet Reagan’s ability to capture the essence of Joel was comforting. Joel’s patient eyes under his tank helmet could leap from the frame and assure me that he was still with me; he’d never left me. 

This image of my boy who would never turn 23 had a way of straightening my spine. “Do the work, Ma,” he would say. After a few years, the image changed my sorrow over losing Joel to contentment that I was able to help so many kids. His mouth can change ever so subtly from “Mom, it’s gonna be OK” to “Mom, what are you thinking?”……….

 ~Deanna House, Mother of a Fallen Hero~

 

 Dee has asked me to share the link to her journal about losing Joel: Tribute to My Son

You will find this a very moving, honest journey written by a Mom who only wanted time to turn back a few years!

Deanna House has become that voice in my ear.

 Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, the American Soldier and Jesus Christ. One died for your soul, and the other died for your freedom……..

 

 

 

 

As you spend your holiday with friends and family, remember that Memorial Day represents the sacrifices of thousands of those young men and women who stepped up for your freedom!

Many continue to serve, many troops preparing for a new deployment, many families relocating or waiting here at home for the return of their loved one. As you attend your baseball games and cookouts, please keep in mind these are men and women who volunteer for this life of service to our Country. Our country no longer has the draft system used in previous wars. It is a conscious decision to serve. They serve for your freedom of your liberties. 

On the battlefield we leave no soldier behind. As a nation let it be our pledge that when they return we leave no veteran behind.

 

~Saluting and honoring all who made the ultimate sacrifice.~

 

To those who courageously gave their lives ….we thank you and we honor you, we pray for your loved ones.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

 

York Beach Firefighters donates $1,700 to               House in the Woods

The York Beach Fire Department of York Beach, Maine received a gift from the family of the late Army Sgt. Kyle Gavin. In turn, the firefighters decided to present this wonderful gift to Luke House (brother of Sgt. Joel House) and Luke’s son Joel for the nonprofit retreat House in the Woods Military & Family Retreat.

Per Sea Coast Online News: The idea was sparked by Gavin’s boss at Shoreline Construction and York Beach Fire Department Capt. Gary Woods, and friend Anthony DiElsi, a firefighter in the department. Gavin, who died at age 29 in March 2016, was “a good friend of a lot of people” at the station, said Woods.

Pleae read the entire Sea Coast article at this link Sea Coast Online News

Katie Neal Boston Marathon Runner

 

 

 

This year’s Battle of the Badges was great fun!! All of us associated with House in the Woods love getting together with these guys and gals for a day of some good competition.

The black & blue teams…no I mean color shirts!!

 

~ACTION SHOTS~

 

 

All attendees enjoyed a fabulous turkey supper on Sunday’s arrival. Evidently someone bagged a turkey pre-event!! And, a gut-filling spaghetti feed was devoured by all upon departure Wednesday. Great time had by everyone!!

  First Annual House in the Woods Golf Fundraising Scramble

 

All who are connected with House in the Woods Military and Family Retreat want to wish you all a Happy Mother’s Day and an honorable Memorial Day.

Please remember the Mom who serves our country while apart from her children. Remember to keep them in your prayers.

Pray for the souls of the soldiers whom we remember this Memorial Day.

Each who made the ultimate sacrifice did so for each of us…..the combat warrior fought and gave his life for all who are citizens of our great United States!

 

We shall continue to pray for your safety and for the loved ones who await you at your home……..

 

 

House in the Woods Military and Family Retreat

217 Skunk Hill Road

Lee, Maine o4455

Phone: 207-738-4421

Fax: 207-738-4420

Email: Deanna House, Director of Administrative Services

deanna.house@houseinthewoods.org