A priest, a rabbi, two ministers. All chaplains. Brothers, as they shared the same FATHER. Today is Four Chaplains Day. This is probably not celebrated in most churches ,but it's honored yearly in military Chapels.
Before boarding the USAT Dorchester, Chaplain Poling had asked his father to pray for him, "Not for my safe return, that wouldn't be fair. Just pray that I shall do my duty...never be a coward...and have the strength, courage and understanding of men. Just pray that I shall be adequate."
On February 3rd, 1943, at 12:55 in the morning, the USAT Dorchester, carrying 902 servicemen took a torpedo mid-ship and began taking on water rapidly. Panic and chaos was rampant aboard the ship as men sought to save their lives pushing and shoving to find a place in one of the lifeboats.
The following excerpt from Home of Heroes says it much more eloquently than I.
"In less than half an hour, water was beginning to flow across the deck of the sinking Dorchester. Working against time the Chaplains continued to pass out the life vests from the lockers as the soldiers pressed forward in a ragged line. And then....the lockers were all empty...the life jackets gone. Those still pressing in line began to realize they were doomed, there was no hope. And then something amazing happened, something those who were there would never forget. All Four Chaplains began taking their own life jackets off....and putting them on the men around them. Together they sacrificed their last shred of hope for survival, to insure the survival of other men.... most of them total strangers. Then time ran out. The Chaplains had done all they could for those who would survive, and nothing more could be done for the remaining...including themselves.
Those who had been fortunate enough to reach lifeboats struggled to distance themselves from the sinking ship, lest they be pulled beneath the ocean swells by the chasm created as the transport slipped into a watery grave. Then, amid the screams of pain and horror that permeated the cold dark night, they heard the strong voices of the Chaplains. "Shma Yisroel Adonai Elohenu Adonai Echod." "Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done."
Looking back they saw the slanting deck of the Dorchester, its demise almost complete. Braced against the railings were the Four Chaplains...praying...singing, giving strength to others by their final valiant declaration of faith. Their arms were linked together as they braced against the railing and leaned into each other for support, Reverend Fox, Rabbi Goode, Reverend Poling, and Father Washington. Said one of the survivors, "It was the finest thing I have ever seen this side of heaven." "
You can find out more about this story by doing a simple google search of "The Four Chaplains."
I made a huge dent in my pre-holiday cleaning. Yes, you read that right. It never quite got done before the holidays. ::snort::
The boys moved the freezer, and we gave it away to its new owner. Nolan swept out the garage. Jared moved the grain and co-op laundry baskets to the spot that was formerly occupied by the freezer.
All the kids cleaned their rooms.
I got all the laundry caught up.
We cleaned light switches, walls, doors, door knobs, bathrooms.
I deep cleaned my bedroom. This took several days. ::blush:: I took down all the curtains and hanging stuff from above our bed and washed it. I usually do this when the girls are home because it takes all 3 of us to get it back up. Today, I had Nolan. We tried. It all kept falling down. Finally, I just threw it at the curtain rods - and it stuck. We left it. I think it is fine. ::Snort::
I also washed the shower curtain and will put it all back together after I finish this - so that I don't have a nasty surprise early tomorrow morning. I cleaned under the bed. I went through all closets and drawers and lined the side of the garage where the grain had been with more bags for another trip to a local charity. I even vacuumed the closet. I still need to overhaul the kitchen and deep clean the bathrooms....I think I'll make it a goal to have both those done by the end of this month.
We were tired...and then I remembered I am supplying refreshments for the 1100 service tomorrow....Sam's club it is; sometimes you can do homemade. LOL
I also remembered I am teaching Mike's Sunday school class in the a.m. Prepped for that.
In between dust bunny wars, I fielded phone calls about various food co-ops.
It was a full day.....
OH - and Mike called. Jamin met with a representative from Bethany House today. They are interested in reading Jamin's book - The King of the Reid. They also stressed that Jamin needs to get published in order to have name recognition. This will make his work more marketable. Catch 22? You can't get published unless you've been published. ::snort:: Jamin does have a short essay he wrote on being shy that I think would be good for a teen venue. He's going to try to get that published. He's attended a couple workshops on how to publish so he will have an idea of how best to proceed. He'd contacted Brio or whatever that Focus on the Family magazine is and had been told that they have their own writers and don’t' accept outside writers. He'll knock some more. LOL He may also have an idea of which writing agents he wants to pursue. This is another catch 22. It seems that most publishers would rather you have one (of course, they preview the material LOL), but most agents don't want to accept you until you've published a book. Now, this is all stuff that I've picked up from Jamin. Don't ask me to tell you where HE heard it all; probably the internet somewhere. LOL
We are fully aware that sending his book to a publisher does not mean it will be published...but we're encouraged that he pitched it well enough that they are interested in reading the rest. Prior to the conference, he'd been told that these folks don't accept "unsolicited manuscripts"; now he's invited to send his book. It's a foot in the door.
No pictures today - we were working too hard for Mom to play with the camera. ::snort::
I was told about a new fun play place on base. Stacia, Arielle, and I dropped by today. I thought I might need Arielle's help with Stacia.
Why did I need Arielle's help?
It's the Base's Family Fitness Room. I've never seen this at other bases and find it ironic that they have one HERE at a student base. To use this room you must have a child 6 months - 5 years of age. The kids area is bright and fun. There is no TV - so I can't get my news fix, but other than that, I have no complaints. They have the NEW machines in this room. It's not full of buff students or spandex babes. I dont' feel guilty leaving everyone to watch Stacia.
I enjoyed being back on the machines. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the bike (reading a book I want to finish).
I had to cut my workout short, however, when Stacia got into a tiff with a 4 YO. He hit her with a toy. She cried, his mother yelled, no remorse from the 4 YO boy. All settled down. Three minutes later (remember I was working out and so had my eye on the clock) Stacia decked him. She was scolded, told him she was sorry, and then told him she'd be back as we left. She's 2 1/2.
As we left Stacia said, "Mom, Let's come back AGAIN!" I wish we lived close enough to do it daily....I've used the gyms a lot since we went military, but the drive here is 20 minutes one way. I made use of the gas by going to the commissary and recycling too. LOL
