A Brother's Words; A Sister's Thoughts by Cindy Campbell

 Hey Cindy, I was just walking down the street here in Olongapo, Philippines and saw this little cyber-cafe, thought I would drop a line… could you do a favor for me? Please, with kitten paws pushing on your belly! I just came out of the field for a few days and a few nights ago, while lying in a hammock in the pouring rain, while checking the time; it was passing dreadfully slow… I had time to reflect on the past, that's what happens when counting the seconds waiting for life to "end". …I'm doing okay. You take care, and I'll chat with you soon!! Safe, Chris Chris was 25 years old when he emailed me the above request. He was asking me to reach out to someone that was special to him and convey birthday wishes. I kept many of my brothers cards, letters and emails to me with the intent to pass them back to him after his career in the Navy ended. Chris was sentimental, and I thought he might like to revisit his military journey through his messages to me...

Most of the posts I have written in this blog have come to me very easily, guided by my brother's words - our shared memories through his writing to me. This one has been difficult. Why? It's the day. What does it mean? Why is this day "special"? It's one I wish never had to exist! It's not the date. Every day is important to someone. It can be viewed with great happiness and, on the flip side, a day can also be one of great emotional pain. That's how life works, right? The Gold Star Flag  The last Sunday in September is of great significance to some. Before I proceed, let me introduce you to Grace Darling Seibold. Grace was a woman and a mother who chose to be a comfort to others by spending time volunteering at a hospital in D.C. Reading her story made her why clear. There was a day when her mailbox no longer contained letters from her son, yet she continued her visits to the hospital. Maybe her son would be admitted without identification; she would kn...

Although I don't recall our mom verbally telling us to 'pay attention' to all that is happening around us, she helped us see the beauty in our surroundings and shared natural observations with us that cultivated an awe and respect of nature. This influence impacted Chris throughout his life and is evident in his emails and letters to me. In May 2000, he spent time in Thailand. It was there he had a pendant made for me, which I wore daily when he was deployed. During this stay, he also had adventures that were quite different from anything we experienced growing up.  In three different emails, Chris wrote about elephants. Google, in its infinite repository of knowledge, provided great insight into these magnificent creatures. They have close family bonds, are spirited, playful, protective and have excellent memories. Whether my brother knew this or not, he had similar attributes. Since today, September 22nd, is National Elephant Appreciation Day, it seemed like the perfect t...

Hello!                                                                                               From Japan, I greet you. I am doing well and trust you are also. We've been on and off the island for about three weeks now and wow, my head's spinning. On the flight over we stopped in Honolulu, Hawaii for the night. Stayed in the Outrigger Resort in Waikiki, was great. I finally got to view the infamous "Pink Panther" that I was [born] in. The next day of our travel our taxi took us to a small island called Kwajalein in the Marshall Island Chain. A small and beautiful paradise that I might actually go and work one day. Interesting story, I'll tell...

It's September 10th, and Nels is 3 days into his 'Run Across America'. He is "climbing" Yosemite as I write this! Nels has made reference to this run being "chosen suffering". Although he's been training for a few years now, today he is going to earn his breakfast , lunch and dinner! He has a great support team (Kerrie & Ella) who will ensure his hydration, caloric intake and physical well-being are expertly managed throughout the day. Once he completes his mileage, an R.V. awaits with an amazing massage therapist (Denise), dinner to refuel and a good night's sleep. The routine will begin again tomorrow at 3 a.m. on September 11th. --------------------------------- Emails to me from Chris dated 7/31 & 8/2/00:   "Today, we had a good P.T. (work out). We did a burn-out calisthenic, then a swim/obstacle course. It hurt!! You would jump off this pier, swim about 100 yards, with fins on, climb a rope (using no legs) about 20 ft to the t...

August 22, 2000 - Email from Chris: "I am re-enlisting in November for 3 years, but I have been searching the net for firefighter positions. I someday would like to land a federal job doing something of that magnitude. It just feels so nice being so close to freedom!! I could actually grow long hair again before it falls out!! Not that I do this job for the money, but after this cruise and experiencing "different" and new things, I have realized that I don't want to continue doing this for an extended amount of time. I would like to enjoy life and not put myself in "harms" way so much. I'll be honest with you. I never hesitated at any moment, but the human deep down inside of this shell was scared a few times and understood how life is nothing but a flash!!" --------------- Over the years I've heard many people say "I wish I could've met your brother". My typical response is "you have". There are heroes among us, if we c...