Thanks, Brian

See this man here?

His name is Brian Jolley. His mom and I are friends. While it is possible he doesn't even know I exist, I think it is more probable that, if his mom pushed, he would think hard about it and finally come up with "Oh, yeah...Pobble...I remember hearing about her. I think..." I, on the other hand, know he exists. I know a lot about him. Although his story isn't mine to tell (it would make you cheer, make you weep, make you proud, make you angry, make you smile...you get the idea), there are some things I can say:


He's young; he's handsome. He can be goofy. He's loyal and kind. He's a good man. A son, a friend, a nephew, a soldier. And, unlike when these pictures were taken, he's home, in the US ~ after two full tours in Iraq, almost back to back.


Did you catch that last one? He's home. He's here. Stateside. His holidays won't include IEDs, care packages, or body armor. Thank the Goddess.

It's easy to forget, though, that just because Brian is home doesn't mean they all are. Too many soldiers are celebrating the holidays in conditions we don't want to imagine. For many others, even though they are home, they still aren't, not really. Not in their heads or their hearts. So, as you give thanks, attend parties, drink egg nog, decorate trees, do all the wonderful holiday things we do during this time of year, remember. And stop to say thanks.


Those are Pobble Thoughts. That and a buck fifty will get you coffee.



Editor's note (that's me) ~ The video was originally Bing Crosby and David Bowie singing their truly magnificent version of Little Drummer Boy, but it's been removed for copyright reasons. Boo on them. So, instead we've gone with the, admittedly more cliched, song here. It's cliched because it fits, after all.