WOMEN'S REPUBLICAN  CLUB HONORS OUR MILITARY CAREGIVERS by Susan Warren

This was our fifth year hosting such a meaningful spring luncheon, with Carol Bowis, Caring for America, in the lead.  As the liaison for our club and the caregivers, it has been my honor to coordinate the invitations to our treasured guests.

Our annual club luncheon to honor the caregivers from Walter Reed and Ft. Belvoir was a grand success.   Despite a cold rainy misty day nothing could dampen anyone's spirits.   Even our bagpiper Dan Friz willingly stood in the front yard to play for our guests as they disembarked a bus provided by the Yellow Ribbon Fund.   All of our members were cheering and welcoming the ladies as they entered the house.

Planned as a garden party at the home of Jayne Plank, we were forced indoors, but soon realized this was an unexpected blessing.   Rather than have 14 caregivers and 30 club members scattered around the garden everyone was comfortably seated in one of three spacious rooms, making the entire luncheon far more intimate.    As always, we opened in prayer, and then enjoyed a marvelous pot luck lunch. During this time the ladies were able to enjoy personal conversations, getting to know each other.

We were honored to have as our guest speaker Dava Guerin, coauthor of "Unbreakable Bonds...the Mighty Moms and Wounded Warriors of Walter Reed."  In her book, she highlighted the stories of ten women, one of whom was our guest.   Many of them have attended our luncheons in previous years.   She has developed a keen understanding of the challenges these woman face daily and they appreciated having her with us to bridge the gap between civilians and the hospital life of the wounded and ill family members.

After her short message, we opened up the floor for our guests to introduce themselves, offering their names, where they hail from, and a short history of their loved one's injuries, their triumphs and tragedies here at the hospital.   It was clear that for these caregivers to be together was an extraordinary time for them as well as for us.   They rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to share their lives in an intimate setting such as this.    There were tears and laughter, but they rely heavily on their sense of humor to see them through the daily regime of doctor appointments, meetings, and physical care for their loved ones.

Before our guests departed, we had some special gifts for them.  The generosity of our club members and non-club members raised enough in donations so that each lady attending was given a $75 Target (their store of choice) gift card and $45 cash.   Additionally, Jayne Plank gave each lady a $100 gift card to Under Armor.

The next day I received some loving 'thank you' messages from some of our guests and here are just a couple of them:  From Jacqueline: "I know you all worked really hard to make everything come together.  I was so thankful to you for allowing Patricia and I to come to the luncheon.  It was a beautiful day for us despite the yucky weather.  I loved talking to the sweet ladies from your group.  They were so fun and encouraging.  We had a rough month so this was just the uplifting I needed!"  From Claudia: "Thank you for your hospitality, everything was wonderful, the food was delicious and the company was the best!"

As Carol Bowis quoted, "Freedom isn't free...we have these brave caregivers, and their soldiers they care for, to thank for their sacrifice.  It was our privilege to thank them in person."   There were many club members who worked very diligently and to them we give thanks.