So what have I been doing these past weeks? Traveling! This is one of the places I've been privileged to visit, the Memorial in Odessa, TX, for American Sniper Chris Kyle. Interestingly, I was able to stand there on September, 11, 2016, the 15th anniversary of 9-11.

If you know me at all, you know how much I respect the military, its veterans, and its heroes. Chris Kyle is one of those heroes. The memorial is a powerful statement of the kind of man he was and the life he lived.

 

Taya Kyles remembers....

It's Valentines Day....

I've taken the words below directly from Taya Kyle's Facebook page, posted Feb 2, 2015.

I have so much respect for her as she deals every day without the hero in her life,


Navy SEAL, Chris Kyle.

Look at these smiling faces. Here is a real, true-love story.
She has become my hero.

And I am honored to stand with her....

I didn't have the words yesterday, the second anniversary of Chris and Chad's death.

Two years. What does it mean? I don't know. It means that the world keeps spinning and life goes on. We all have pain and suffering and the world doesn't wait on us to figure out what to do with it. I know I have grieving left to do. I know it still hurts like crazy and I know it doesn't feel anywhere close to two years since Chris and Chad's physical presence was taken from us.

I also know I can't live without looking at the blessings even in the midst of pain. I know that I am blessed beyond measure with the support of friends, family and all of you. I read all of your comments on my phone sometimes as I fall asleep at night. You all inspire me with bible verses, words of encouragement and support of our military and first responders, including Chris.

As I reflect on the past two years I don't think I have processed everything fully. The battles I have fought, the tears shed, the beautiful moments with amazing people and the deeper understanding I have of Chris have all been such a blessing. As long as I live, I hope I continue to grow and be better.

When everything in our society seems to be so volatile with respect to "political correctness", I still believe in standing strong for honestly representing who we are as individuals, regardless of the public acceptance. In that vein, I want to share with you something I don't know if all of you will agree with. I hope you will be open-minded as you watch the video and read the rest of the post.

One of the more powerful experiences I had in the last two years was on a hunt in Wyoming. My father was a hunter and I always had the opportunity to go, but it didn't interest me. While I have no issue with other people hunting responsibly, I am a soft hearted person and didn't know if I could take the life of an animal. The organic meat Chris provided our family in a very humane way was something I encouraged him to do. I knew he enjoyed being in nature. After Chris was killed, our freezer emptied of lean meat. The stress mounted and I decided to take an opportunity presented to me by Weatherby. They invited me to go on a hunt under the big Wyoming sky.

They documented the experience with the attached short video including intermittent clips from a tearful interview we did at the end of the trip. One thing I don't mention in the video is this: Our guide from Tillard Ranch told me the meat donated to a homeless shelter in town provided the only red meat some folks in town would get all week. I think our freezer can wait, and I had such a happy heart to be able to donate the meat to the shelter. For me, it made this antelope's life matter even more. He was beautiful and strong. The Weatherby team taught me a lot about conservation, ethical hunting, care and caution to not injure animals other than the one you intend to kill quickly and humanely by placing an accurate shot. I found a great deal of peace in the experience and learned even more about my husband and the care good hunters put into preservation and care of the land and the herds who roam the land. They are all things Chris cared about and I was blessed to be a part of it for a short time.

God Bless you all as we each go forward, the world keeps spinning and we do the best we can with whatever life brings each of us.

Honored to stand united with you,

Taya,

Micah 6:8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk9JgGSt4to

Why do I write about snipers?

One Reason. Respect.

They do the hard and dirty jobs so we don't have to.

They risk their lives to do the impossible.

They serve.

Their training alone would make most of us whine for our

mommies.

I fly my flag everyday, but wish there was some way I could

 

tell my heroes how highly I value their sacrifice.

Heroes like:

U.S. Navy SEAL Adam Brown,

U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle,

U.S. Army Major Rusty Bradley,

U.S. Special Forces Captain Jason Amerine and the Green

 

Berets who fought with him in Afghanistan,

and my favorite, my husband, Bill,

U.S. Army Sergeant in Vietnam.

Heroes like all the men and women who've died for their

country.

They were just regular people like you and me.

Just stronger than most.

So, yeah, how could I not choose these kinds of men

for my heroes?

Who would you want coming to your rescue?

A reporter?

A Congressman?

An actor?

Oh, hell no. You'd want a man tough enough

to take on the world all by himself.

(Originally posted April 2014)

American Sniper

This is a blatant commercial.

The movie is now released and a must see.

Don't miss it.