101.1 Talk Radio with Burnie Thompson

It's always such a wonderful pleasure to be on the show with Burnie Thompson's Talk Radio program, 101.1, Northwest Florida's FM Talk Station. On Friday, December 4, from 8 to 9 a.m. Burnie allowed me to remind the listening audience about our millitary families and our men and women serving on our behalf far from home. As the wife of a retired U.S. Marine I know the extra stress and melancholy that comes with our traditional family Christmas holiday. I spent a number of Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with my husband 8,000 miles from home. As a military mom I know the anxiety of having a child 8,000 miles away in a war zone during the holidays. I now have a young cousin with 3 young children stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska while her husband is serving in Afghanistan. When we talk or chat on Facebook, I can tell the anxiety she is experiencing and do all I can to give her a lift. "This too shall pass!" Although at the moment it doesn't seem so.
I also ask everyone to remember the families who have suffered the ultimate sacrifice as well as anyone else known to be grieving through the holidays due to the death of a loved one. I reminded listeners to please acknowledge anyone they know who may be going through such grief, especially at this time of year. Give them a hug and don't be afraid to talk about the deceased loved one, and if anyone is afraid to mention the deceased loved one, just ask the person grieving if they would like to talk about their loved one. Believe me, this is a beautiful gift to most of us. Most of us don't want our loved ones forgotten or not spoken of, especially those like my husband and I who have suffered the death of a child. I also advise the grieving to give others permission to speak of their deceased loved one. This may sound odd, but our society does not teach how to handle grief from either side, the grieving or the observer, we all learn as we go along. My neighbor who lost her 19 year old son in a car accident over a year ago shared with me that it seemed at the family Thanksgiving gathering that some seemed to want to tip toe around and not talk about her son. I asked if she had thought of giving them permission to do so, because they are simply afraid that they will upset her or her husband or other young son. It was as though a light came on for her. She had never thought about doing such a thing, but it made perfect sense after we talked about it. These two small things can keep anyone from feeling like they have to walk on eggshells and keep down any hurt feelings or misunderstandings.
So, Burnie, thank you for letting me share time on your show! I look forward to the next time.