NousDefionsDoc
07-27-2005, 20:46
Stevie's Journal entries regarding her visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Friday July 8th, 2005
Washington, D.C.
Today started out as normal as any other day~ misty but sunny~a day off for me and my band~ a time to rest from a tour that began last May~ a sweet day in Washington, D.C.~ Except for…this was the day I chose to go to the Walter Reed Hospital and visit with the boys back from Iraq~ a few hours to spread my magic and give away some of my music~ sign some rock & roll t-shirts~ and come back home for an early night because tomorrow we fly to Charlotte for a show and then back here to play D.C. on Sunday… How simple my idea of this day now seems. I look at life through the eyes of a rock and roll fairy princess who lives for nothing more than to sing a song~ break a few hearts~ and fly on to the next city and do it all again…until today.
I walked into Walter Reed today a single woman with no children~ I walked out~ a mother, a wife, a girlfriend, a sister, a daughter, a nurse, a patient’s advocate~ a changed woman~ what I saw today will never leave my heart. The boys of Iraq~ (and a few older ones, too).
And the families~ the father who showed me the shrapnel they took out of his son~ and then took his medals and laid them at his child’s feet~ such a beautiful father…in so much pain, but always hopeful~ his son will make it~ and I believe that…
The father who said - "His eyes are closed, but he hears you. See, his hand is making the sign of "Mahalo"~ his eyes are closed, but those tears mean he sees you~" I made him promise to listen to my music~ he promised. And his mother, I felt her pain more vividly than I have ever felt the pain of a mother’s love in my whole life. I told her I could only imagine what that would be like. I hugged her for a long time thinking that maybe if I didn’t let her go~ we would just wake up from this dream. But war is real~ it’s not a dream~ and I had to let her go. That was hard. I felt some of my spirit leave my body and go over to her; I hope she felt it too…Mahalo, I won’t forget you…
And the mom’s…oh yes, our moms just never give up…they just sit there and pray and make promises to God~ "if you will just bring him back…just take me…" and they mean it. And standing in those rooms with them I meant it too…whatever it takes, God, just do it.
And the sisters…I have a brother. He is 5 years younger than me, but he is still my baby. Even the thought of him being taken from me drains the joy from my body~ and the world would be joyless. I saw that in those little sisters eyes~ "you can’t have my brother…he is too young; we have only just begun to live. So I pray for these boys to gather their strength and their angels about them and come back to us. I pray that these brilliant doctors that surround them are able to work the miracles that are needed here. I place a circle of white light around them~ like a million white candles burning for their recovery and their strength and their determination to come back to us…
http://www.nicksfix.com/
Friday July 8th, 2005
Washington, D.C.
Today started out as normal as any other day~ misty but sunny~a day off for me and my band~ a time to rest from a tour that began last May~ a sweet day in Washington, D.C.~ Except for…this was the day I chose to go to the Walter Reed Hospital and visit with the boys back from Iraq~ a few hours to spread my magic and give away some of my music~ sign some rock & roll t-shirts~ and come back home for an early night because tomorrow we fly to Charlotte for a show and then back here to play D.C. on Sunday… How simple my idea of this day now seems. I look at life through the eyes of a rock and roll fairy princess who lives for nothing more than to sing a song~ break a few hearts~ and fly on to the next city and do it all again…until today.
I walked into Walter Reed today a single woman with no children~ I walked out~ a mother, a wife, a girlfriend, a sister, a daughter, a nurse, a patient’s advocate~ a changed woman~ what I saw today will never leave my heart. The boys of Iraq~ (and a few older ones, too).
And the families~ the father who showed me the shrapnel they took out of his son~ and then took his medals and laid them at his child’s feet~ such a beautiful father…in so much pain, but always hopeful~ his son will make it~ and I believe that…
The father who said - "His eyes are closed, but he hears you. See, his hand is making the sign of "Mahalo"~ his eyes are closed, but those tears mean he sees you~" I made him promise to listen to my music~ he promised. And his mother, I felt her pain more vividly than I have ever felt the pain of a mother’s love in my whole life. I told her I could only imagine what that would be like. I hugged her for a long time thinking that maybe if I didn’t let her go~ we would just wake up from this dream. But war is real~ it’s not a dream~ and I had to let her go. That was hard. I felt some of my spirit leave my body and go over to her; I hope she felt it too…Mahalo, I won’t forget you…
And the mom’s…oh yes, our moms just never give up…they just sit there and pray and make promises to God~ "if you will just bring him back…just take me…" and they mean it. And standing in those rooms with them I meant it too…whatever it takes, God, just do it.
And the sisters…I have a brother. He is 5 years younger than me, but he is still my baby. Even the thought of him being taken from me drains the joy from my body~ and the world would be joyless. I saw that in those little sisters eyes~ "you can’t have my brother…he is too young; we have only just begun to live. So I pray for these boys to gather their strength and their angels about them and come back to us. I pray that these brilliant doctors that surround them are able to work the miracles that are needed here. I place a circle of white light around them~ like a million white candles burning for their recovery and their strength and their determination to come back to us…
http://www.nicksfix.com/