SPORTSTER'S FREEDOM

This Memorial Day  is even more special than all of the  others I have experienced. I hope through my video I can express my patriotism and appreciation for my freedom,  and that I may  inspire  you  to remember it is not just about fireworks and  barbeques.

With the release of our newest book, MASADA'S MARINE, Memorial Day means even more to me than ever before. The hours Judy and I spent in research, and the wonderful folks we've met who  shared their stories, has made this holiday extremely significant.

Please honor not only our fallen heroes, but our invisible heroes who still fight their battle with PTSD.

EVERY HOUR A VETERAN COMMITS SUICIDE BECAUSE OF PTSD.

Below are reviews from some  of our readers.  

“I am reading Masada’s Marine. It is great! I am only a third of the way done but you had me hooked and teary eyed with the first paragraph! I read a lot of books and I am not just saying this to be nice. It is your best so far and I think this will help a lot of people understand and appreciate our service people!

When I was 12 my mom left my brother and I with some friends. The man had been in the service in Vietnam. We were sitting on the couch watching TV when he started screaming for us to get down. He moved us to the bedroom with his wife and then got down behind the couch acting like he had a rifle in his hand. It was terrifying. I had mostly forgot about that happening until I started reading this book. Other than that these people were very good to me. I see now how much he must have been suffering!

I am going to buy a few copies and offer them for sale at the shop! I think this is going to be a great success for you! Congratulations!”

Two days later  the reader continues.....

“So I am at the part where Alex, the Marine, gets in an altercation with the driver of an SUV that honks his horn. Alex is banging on the man’s window and another man walks up and says, “Stand Down Marine.”  Oh my gosh, I am balling like a baby. You explained it so well that the reader can sympathize with Alex. Road rage is a bad thing but you can see why he is so angry and have compassion for him! Still loving the book! Excellent!!"

And one of the most recent reviews....

As a retired VA Nurse, I can tell you that the author knew her subjects well. Alex and Sarah experienced a marriage post Iraqi. Alex desires to do the right thing but must face daily the trauma recall from fighting a war that made no sense, where children were used to kill and be killed themselves. The violent side effects of PTSD does most certainly ruin families. The introduction of therapy dogs is a fairly new concept for our military returning now. However, the VA has been using service dogs for our blind veterans for years. Masada's Marine is the best read! I wanted to just hug Masada!

Please consider this cat's humble plea and carry the message about PTSD.

MASADA'S MARINE

 

 

GOD BLESS THE USA

Jojoba Hills SKP RV Park is one of my favorite places. I purr and meow, rub and roll, when Judy announces we are coming here. No matter where we stay in the park, the scents in the air vary from sage and cacti to rabbits and quail. Summer or winter, the breeze blows gently down from Mt. Palomar.

I have been here since Friday and am sorry to say we disconnect our electrical cord tomorrow, the Fourth of July. We spent most of the days writing, editing, rewriting and then repeating the process over and over again. Afternoons I retired to my bed while the words and phrases danced in my head until Judy returned from the pool, or happy hour, or dinner out with friends. Evenings and mornings are the best parts of my days because Judy is not distracted with the myriad of duties with which humans feel compelled to fill their life.

I have tried to teach Judy the simplicities of life, that the universe has its own clock and  ticks to its own schedule. I am in tune with its pulse. You will never see me pacing over what the future has in store. My future is this moment, as I study a bird on the fence. My attention may stretch into the next five minutes but only until it takes flight. Then my feathered friend becomes part of yesterday and I am blessed with the ability to forget.  I believe Judy is catching on as she joins me to examine a bug's journey in the dirt.

But tomorrow belongs to Judy and she has explained that those complexities I mentioned have to be dealt with if I want to continue my lifestyle. She reminded me that not all cats live in the moment and are able to leave yesterday behind them, pointing out the commercials on TV for the SPCA. Her poignant comment caused me to cease my complaints as quickly as if she’d used the squirt bottle.

So I padded down a different track as I pondered the Fourth of July and its significance. Judy told me it had been Jack’s birthday. I didn’t know Jack when he lived but from all Judy told me I believed it was his hand guiding me as a kitten when I struggled on the streets of Sun City looking for morsels of food. When I was weak with hunger and thirst, an apparition floated in and out of my consciousness, whispering in my ear. I have seen pictures of Jack. The ghost in my dreams wore the same Harley hat and shirt. Judy told me the Buddhists believe an animal born after the death of a loved can possess a piece of the loved one’s soul. I don’t know if Judy agrees but she thinks it surreal that her birthday and mine are the same.

The Fourth of July means freedom. I wonder how many other countries a cat is allowed to travel across the land without a passport. I have rolled in the red dirt in Bryce National Park and driven past Elvis’s Graceland. Although I consider water only a means to satisfy my thirst, I trembled at the sight of Niagara Falls. The images of Ground Zero, The Pentagon Memorial, and The Flight 93 Memorial live in my mind and I will always wonder about the spirits of my animal friends born after 911 .My freedom permits me to sleep anywhere, in either of my two homes. The Fourth of July represents these privileges and I don’t want them taken from me.

I have met cats at the shop who lost these opportunities because they hissed and growled and refused to conduct themselves as respectable cats. They’ve never ventured out of Sun City. I’ll try not to meow when Judy works too long and I will with hold my urge to squeeze past the fireplace screen to gain immediate attention when I feel I’m ignored. Freedom is a privilege I don’t want taken from me. When I look in the mirror I am proud of who I am and I am grateful. God Bless the USA.