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Showing posts from February, 2023

Symbolically Linked to the U.S. Army

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                I never donated any of my uniforms because I felt like after serving 8 years in the military, I earned my right to keep them. They were a large part of my life spanning almost a decade. For 3 of those years, I wore a set of the Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs) almost every day.                Those uniforms were issued to me a few days after arriving for my basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. At the reception station we often stood in a long line for something, those first few days—shots, haircuts, and when we were issued our uniforms. Reception personnel took a few measurements and then my 5-foot 95-pound frame was issued 4 sets of “Small, Short” BDU uniforms, 4 brown t-shirts, small, and 2 pair of size 4 black, combat boots complete with 4 pair of green, wool socks.                Even though my dreams and aspirations of joining the military included me smartly dressed in class A uniforms with suit jacket, skirt and hat, we seldom wore class A uniforms, an

Confessions from My Online Dating

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I dated online. The following stories you are about to hear are true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. I know some might find this shocking. However, after I lost my partner of 29 years, I made the conscious decision not to live the rest of my days on this earth alone. Even God said it was not good for man to be alone. I could live alone, but I did not want to. I loved having that partner who had your back. Someone to laugh with, someone to share your life with. Especially someone with whom I had basically “grown up”. We had a lot of things in common, and we each had other interests outside of our relationship. We each were not perfect, but we were perfect for each other. His strengths complimented my weaknesses, and vice versa. A year or so after he passed away, I began contemplating dating. But at my age, and with my limited dating experience, I wasn’t sure how to go about it. I had not dated in 3 decades. Even though my friends and family knew