Kimberly A. Cook

Military Romance Author

Personal Essay

Compassion and Prayers for Roseburg

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by Kimberly A. Cook             (Twitter@  WarriorTales)

My thoughts and prayers are with the families, friends, UCC staff, law enforcement personnel and medical first responders dealing with the tragedy in Roseburg, Oregon. When evil comes I am grateful for the courage and compassion of the brave people who stand in harm’s way to help others, many times at their own peril.

Let us comfort the grieving, help heal the wounded and support each other in community. Perhaps we can take some solace in knowing we are a state and nation full of much more grace and good than evil.

I gauge the character of our country by how we respond during these horrendous acts. When the world seems to have gone mad, know there are still more good people helping those who need care and who can’t help themselves.

Hug those you love. Have a safe weekend. Say prayers for Roseburg.

By Savannah Numinen @snuminen7911
By Savannah Numinen @snuminen7911

Moving Into A New Year Of Possibilities?

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by Kimberly A. Cook               (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

Here we are getting ready to move into 2015. A New Year brings high hopes and fond memories. Since five is supposed to be a lucky number, I’m thinking good things for all of us ahead. That is my wish for all.

Weather is odd once again, woke up to 25 degrees outside and high winds. But we have brilliant sunshine so I can bundle up no problem. Most of the U.S. is in the Arctic Cold outbreak once again so here are some fun things to do this week.

Spec Ops Cat demonstrating his Olympic level napping skills this week. He's a black belt Nap Master. Watch and learn.
Spec Ops Cat demonstrating his Olympic level napping skills this week. He’s a black belt Nap Master. Watch and learn.

1. Figure out what is bugging you the most and clean it out. Did this recently with the container next to my stove that holds my utensils. Couldn’t even get one more in the container, so sorted it out. Stuffed the overage into the kitchen utensil drawer, so now I need to clean that out. But I accomplished one thing!

2. Take a nap. Spec Ops Cat demonstrates his professional level at this activity in the photo. Remember to relax like a cat. Just wish I was as limber as he is.

3. Play a game from your childhood. Taking the Yahtzee game over for New Year’s Eve celebration treats tomorrow to play with family. Nothing like rolling dice and not losing money to make me a happy woman.

4. Read. A magazine, book, cookbook,  ebook or cereal box. It feels like a guilty pleasure to do this during the day in the sunlight, so count me in!

5. Socialize. Whether your watching the bowl games with friends and family, Go Ducks!, or visiting family and friends during the holidays, make time to bond. Actually listen and talk with people. Unplug! It’s a wonderful thing.

6. Be grateful. It’s easy to get wrapped up in all the stuff and things and expectations, but the true joys in life are the little things; always have been, always will be. My favorites this past week were my sister’s pumpkin bread, a calm and happy Christmas, healthy family and friends, donating books to the library, spending Christmas Eve with my Mom, sleeping in and Spec Ops Cat cuddles. Priceless!

Hoping your holidays are going well and let’s all make fun plans for 2015. Happy New Year!

Spring and Summer are just around the corner!
Spring and Summer are just around the corner!

When Schools Become War Zones And Killing Fields

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by Kimberly A. Cook          (Twitter@ WarriorTales)

(Soapbox Alert)

I posted my blog Friday morning about the mall shooting in my neighborhood and walked downstairs. The report about the Connecticut mass murder and suicide blared from the radio. Words cannot begin to express the tragedy of this event.

In coaching my fellow military veterans to write about their ordeals during war and peace, recalling those images and memories can produce laser sharp pain. Getting the events out in the light and open air does help heal the wounds. Writing down what happened puts the author back in charge and takes away the feeling of being a victim; the writer gets a measure of distance and takes back their personal power. This process will take a long time for the victim’s families and the small survivors in Connecticut.

There are many debates now about how this could happen and what we must do as a nation to stop it from occurring again. As an Army soldier I fired an M-16 on automatic and semi-automatic. No one outside out of the military and law enforcement needs that much fire power. Bambi is not carting an M-60 machine gun around in the woods.

Our national gun culture and lack of mental health resources has been outstripped by the increase and sophistication of rapid fire weapons. Before anyone starts talking about the “right to bear arms” in the Second Amendment, let’s put that in perspective. When our founding fathers wrote that clause they were using muskets. It takes time to reload a musket. Those learned men could not have imagined or predicted the carnage of modern-day firepower.

It may take a village to raise a child, but it is going to take a nation to keep children and their families safe from getting killed in future classrooms, shopping malls or at the movie theater.

When it’s easier to get an assault weapon than a Twinkie in this country, our moral direction is floundering.

We need to look hard at ourselves and what we want our families to face in the future. We have found the enemy and it is all of us who don’t take action and allow another horrific shooting to slide on by. Not anymore. Contact your Congressional representatives and Senators and let them know assault weapons are bad for children and other living things. We’ve had enough and lost too many futures.

We can be the change that makes sure future young and bright lives are kept safe, whether in school, a movie theater or at the mall.

(The best blog post I have read on this topic is from CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen. Read it here http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/17/opinion/gergen-gun-culture/index.html?iref=allsearch)