Soldiers, Scars, and Self-Confidence

Happy Friday, RISERS! I hope this week has been good to you. Yesterday we celebrated Veterans Day. As a child raised in the Navy culture until I was age 13, and now as the wife of an Army veteran, I am very thankful to all of the men and women who serve our country. Looking back, I might have been tough enough to be in the service, but I didn’t feel that was my bent in life. The military is not for everyone, though I had many exciting experiences while growing up and lived in places I would never have lived otherwise. As you do something fun this weekend, please remember to thank a vet.

Quote of the week: “The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” –Douglas MacArthur

Movie of the week: This might seem like an unusual choice, but in honor of Veterans Day, I want to recommend the movie The Great Escape. Its all-star cast includes Steve McQueen (who did his own motorcycle stunts), James Garner, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and many other wonderful actors, most of whom you probably have never heard of before. Joking aside, this movie is loosely based on the situations of real people. The movie features composite characters, which means that the personalities and experiences of real men were combined into single characters. While this movie is humorous in places, it depicted the lengths military men in this camp went through to escape. It is a family favorite, and my husband and I sometimes have coded conversations with quotes from this movie. I hope you like it.

Joke of the week: What do you call a deer enlisted in the Air Force? A bombar deer. (I know, that was really bad.)

Nugget of Wisdom for the week: I don’t know if this happens to you, but sometimes, even when I know I’m working on wonderful things, I feel like I’m not good enough. When that happens, three things are pitting themselves against each other: (1) self-esteem, or an overall belief in one’s own worth or value, (2) confidence, the self-assurance coming from appreciation of one’s own abilities, and then (3) humility, which is a modest view of one’s own importance. If you teeter too far one way or the other with humility, you either become ego-centric or feel like Eeyore, convinced that everything’s against you. Neither of these is ideal. Don’t think more highly of yourself than you should, but don’t make yourself a doormat to be trampled on. Be confident in who you are and what you can accomplish, but also know that your self-esteem isn’t tied to your present belief about yourself.

My mind is a mess even now, trying to wrap my brain around it all. You and I are way more than what our feelings currently cause us to feel about ourselves. To use the Journey song “Don’t Stop Believin’” loosely, with the right amount of insight and work, you can do remarkable things. I believe in you.

Have a great week. Remember, you are most awesome and YOU ROCK!

Marion Rhines is a foster-turned-adoptive parent. She lives in Knoxville, Tenn., with her husband and five children. She has written and published two children’s books as well as two foster-care-themed novels. She has a Facebook blog, Tips from the FLIP Side, and enjoys working with children of all ages.

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