Thank you to all Veterans!

Ten years ago, my son Matthew joined the Marines. I remember feeling proud and overwhelmed with fear about his decision. I remember the two hour drive to the signing in process and wishing with all my heart that he would change his mind before we arrived. As my husband and I drove away, we knew that our son’s decision had forever changed his life.

Another vivid memory was when we attended his boot camp graduation in San Diego. When we drove through the entrance we saw a large group of young men running as part of their daily physical drills, each one was dressed exactly the same and had the same haircut, yet we could still pick out our son!  We were so happy to see him, even if it was at a distance. 

There was a bit of a wait before the graduation ceremony began and we were sitting in the stands with the other families, feeling nervous and proud all at the same time.  There were hundreds that graduated that day.  As we sat in the stands our hearts were overwhelmed with pride towards these young adults for what they had accomplished and the commitment they were making to be a Marine.  As our son’s name was called, our family respectfully rose to our feet and tears streamed down our cheeks as we honored our son.

The most vivid memory was also the one I had feared the most – the day when he received his orders to be deployed to war. The only thing besides faith that got our family through those uncertain times was the support and love we received and knowing he was also receiving strong support from our friends and family.  I am blessed and thankful to say he served our country proudly and returned home safely. 

Yesterday was the 239th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, as a proud mom of a Marine, I would like to say, Thank you to all of our Marines! And today is Veteran's day, what a perfect time to thank all of our family and friends that have served or who are still serving our great country. Regardless of our views on warfare, we cannot deny the commitment and sacrifices of our military. Let's remember and respect the great sacrifices made by our veteran's. Let's show compassion to the military families. Let's honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives while serving our country. 

"Thank you" to all who have served our great country.  We appreciate you and respect you for all you’ve done to protect us and our freedom!

Thank You to Administrative Professionals

As a member of the administrative professional community, I’d like to say “Thank you”! Whether you are supporting a manager, a group, a project or a combination of all three, you are key to the success and impact of your company. Your contributions can be directly attributed to the support you provide day in and day out.

Can you imagine business today without administrative staff? If you’re feeling a bit skeptical today, just remember the last time you took vacation and what welcomed you upon your return!

I would like to say “Thank You” for all that you do on a daily basis to help staff, managers and their respective projects succeed. Thank you for going above and beyond when you were tired and overwhelmed and didn’t feel you had any more to give. Thank you for all the sacrifices you’ve made to assure that staff and projects had the information they needed. Thank you for tracking the timeliness and accuracy of project and client deliverables. Thank you for answering the never ending questions about policies and procedures. Thank you for being the point of contact and subject matter expert for the software, forms and approvals needed to accomplish a given task. Thank you for handling all the details and logistics for important meetings and travel arrangements. Thank you for carefully reviewing communication, contracts, spreadsheets and presentations. And on behalf of the managers out there, thank you for finding solutions to many challenges before they ever had a chance to reach their to do list.

I appreciate you, and am grateful for the mentoring so many administrative professionals have provided to me! Thank you again, and happy Administrative Professionals week!

Veteran's Day Thank You Message

Six years ago, my son Matthew joined the Marines. I remember feeling proud and overwhelmed with fear about his decision. Looking back, I remember taking him to Spokane for the signing in process. As my husband and I drove away, we knew that our son’s decision had forever changed his life. I remember the day we attended his boot camp graduation in San Diego. Our family respectfully rose to our feet and tears were shed as we honored our son. Then, the day I feared came, he received his orders to be deployed to war. The only thing besides faith that got me through those uncertain times was the support and love from our friends and family. I am blessed to say he returned home safely and is currently serving in Nevada with his wife, Wilikinia.

Today is the 235th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, as a proud mom of a Marine, "Ooo-rah" to all of our Marines! And tomorrow is Veteran's day, what a perfect time to thank all of our family and friends that have served or who are still serving our great country. Regardless of our views on warfare, we cannot deny the commitment and sacrifices of our military.

Let's remember and respect the great sacrifices made by our veteran's. Let's show compassion to the military families. Let's show honor for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives while serving our country. In closing, "Thank you" to all of you who have served our great country.

I came across this video and wanted to pass it along to all of you. http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KTb6qdPu8JE - may it inspire you to thank a veteran.