While Memorial Day is a holiday to honor the fallen, it is never inappropriate to remember the living. Below is from the archives & still as important as it was last year. Please pass on the information if you know anyone who needs help. ********
TAPS saves lives.
If you know anyone who needs practical help & emotional support due to the loss of a family member or a friend (they do not have to be a relative) who served in Iraq or Afghanistan, please go to Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). TAPS has a 24-hour hotline: 1-800-959-TAPS (8277). Do not hesitate to call on someone's behalf if they are unable to take the first step.
Among other worthy programs, TAPS runs good grief camps for children. We urge you to write down the TAPS main number in case you should come across someone in your daily travels who needs help--you just never know. TAPS has an extensive website, an on-line community which is very helpful & welcoming, & we encourage anyone who might feel isolated to join it.
TAPS also has volunteer opportunities; this might be the place where you find you'd like to help make a difference.
ciao-meow/GG Central
(Two favorite photographs: Soldier's Good-bye & Bobbie The Cat, c. 1939-1945, by Sam Hood, NSW State Library Archives, Australia)