Post No. 240: The Keys To All Happiness

(Image from Linkedin)

The Keys To All Happiness:

1. Self-Responsibility: All Souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating Self-Responsibility for Your Own Soul—in context appropriate ways—is "The 'First' Key To All Happiness!"

2. Self-Expression: All Souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating Self-Expression for Your Own Soul—in context appropriate ways—is "The 'Second' Key To All Happiness!"

3. Self-Identity: All Souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating Self-Identity for Your Own Soul—in context appropriate ways—is "The 'Third' Key To All Happiness!"

4. Self-Care: All Souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating Self-Care for Your Own Soul—in context appropriate ways—is "The 'Fourth' Key To All Happiness!"

5. Self-Love: All Souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating Self-Love for Your Own Soul—in context appropriate ways—is "The 'Fifth' Key To All Happiness!"

6. Fear Facing: All Souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating Fear Facing for Your Own Soul—in context appropriate ways—is "The 'Sixth' Key To All Happiness!"

7. Fulfilling Work: All Souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating Work for Your Own Soul—in context appropriate ways—is "The 'Seventh' Key To All Happiness!"

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

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My Writing About A Good Work Ethic: A good work ethic equals being happy...and doing work well equals being fulfilled. –Paul Whiting (written approximately on August 1st, 2014, turned into a quote from my notes on July 9th, 2022 and revised August 24th, 2022)

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My Writing About Work Being The Source Of All Happiness: The source of all happiness is doing work! –Paul Whiting (written December 2nd, 2015, revised July 7th, 2022 and revised August 24th, 2022)

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My Writing About Happiness Having To Be Engineered: Happiness has to be engineered, since we are Literally Nothing that is self-aware! And that is why every single, little thing has to be thought into existence by being designed, built through trial and error efforts, tested for workability, verified as effective, implemented as planned and, finally, maintained and repaired. And—if necessary—every single, little thing also has to be rethought, redesigned, rebuilt through trial and error efforts, retested for workability, reverified as effective, reimplemented as planned, and then re-maintained and re-repaired, etc... –Paul Whiting (written March 5th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022 and revised July 25th, 2022)

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My Writing About 'The Seven Steps To Happiness,' So To Speak, As They Relate To Fear, Understanding And Love [March 27th, 2023 Update—Continued Further (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

This 'March 27th, 2023 Update—Continued Further' is originally from my blog post titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog, which also appears on some of my blogs as the following: "My Writing About 'The Seven Steps To Happiness,' So To Speak, As They Relate To Fear, Understanding And Love." And what inspired this writing is an idea that—as a philosopher—I have been thinking about for quite some time regarding the steps that one has to take in order to be hard working and honest.

And the idea I had been thinking about—which I was planning to eventually put into writing as grouped into seven subcategories within a larger category, or seven individual steps on a lifelong journey—went something like the following statement:

1) You have to assume risk 2) in order to solve problems 3) through the utilization of trial and error effort 4) since you have to make mistakes 5) and you have to learn from your mistakes 6) so that you can face your fears 7) which is why you can be hard working and honest!

Then, on March 27th, 2023, the day that I wrote this 'update,' I was contemplating the connection between fear (which is negative energy), understanding (which is neutral energy) and love (which is positive energy). And I had also been thinking over some period of time about the direct connection between the facing of fear, which leads to an understanding of that fear by facing it, which then leads to an inversion of that fear into its exact opposite state of love.

Thus, these two different types of thinking about how to be hard working and honest, as well as how to invert your fear into love through understanding of a particular fear by facing that fear, came together in my mind, which is why I created "My Writing About 'The Seven Steps To Happiness,' So To Speak, As They Relate To Fear, Understanding And Love."

Here are "The Seven Steps To Happiness":

Step To Happiness No. 1: You need to assume calculated risk in order to face your fears so that you are able to invert (or, "convert to the opposite state of energy") your fear—which is negative energy—so that you can solve the many problems in life that are "down-to-earth," so to speak, because they are gravity-based problems (such as access to healthy food, clean water, fresh air, sufficient clothing, adequate personal care products, quality health care, affordable housing, efficient transportation, etc.) and also psychologically-based problems (such as having plenty of satisfying friendships, romance, quality time with family, relaxation, sleep, etc.).

Step To Happiness No. 2: And you sometimes need to create solutions "out of thin air," so to speak, when you are facing your fears, by assuming risk and solving problems through trial and error effort. Thus, solving "down-to-earth" problems is no small task because sometimes the "out-of-thin-air" solutions may be the only thing that you have available in your proverbial took box. And you have test (or, try out) those "out-of-thin-air" solutions to see if they frickin' work in order to solve those "down-to-earth" problems!

Step To Happiness No. 3: Then, while you are testing (or, trying out) the "out-of-thin-air" solutions to your "down-to-earth" problems, through trial and error effort, you have to make mistakes (sometimes, really big mistakes!), so that you can learn from your "trial-and-error" mistakes (even the really big mistakes!) and that way you are able to do better in future after having learned from your (sometimes, really big!) mistakes.

Step To Happiness No. 4: Now, because you can do better in future, since you are able to learn from your "trial-and-error" mistakes, that is what makes it possible for you to be hard working and honest, which is why you can be happy!

Step To Happiness No. 5: Thus, you can face your fear (which is negative energy) and invert—or, "convert to the opposite state of energy"—your fear into understanding (which is neutral energy), since you can finally understand exactly why you were fearful! And that is what makes it possible to convert your fear into the opposite state of love (which is positive energy) through your understanding of that particular fear by having faced the fear.

Step To Happiness No. 6: To clarify though, facing your fear is no small task, since fear can be abjectly terrifying! So, when I talk about facing fears, I mean the really big fears, like having everything go horribly wrong and having to pick up the pieces of your world that may very well have completely shattered. However, that doesn't mean that all fear facing is nearly that intense, but it sure can be, depending upon the circumstances in which you are facing your fears and the types of fears that you are facing.

Step To Happiness No. 7: Therefore, you need to have a healthy respect for assuming calculated risk in order to face your fears by creating solutions to problems through trial and error effort, because you sometimes have to make really big mistakes, and learn from those mistakes, so that you can do better in future, which is what makes it possible for you to be hard working and honest, and that is why you can be happy! So, facing fears is inverting the negative energy of fear into the neutral energy of understanding, which is what makes the positive energy of love possible, since you understand why you were fearful. That is why facing your fears is no small task, because fear can be abjectly terrifying, hence the need to have a healthy respect for assuming calculated risk.

So, in summary "The Seven Steps To Happiness" are accomplished by doing the following:

1) You need to assume calculated risk in order to face your fears by
2) creating solutions to problems through trial and error effort, and by
3) making mistakes, then learning from those mistakes, so that you can do better in future, since
4) learning from your "trial-and-error" mistakes is what makes it possible for you to be hard working and honest, thereby making it possible for you to
5) invert your fear into understanding first and then into love second; however,
6) facing your fears is no small task because fear can be abjectly terrifying, therefore,
7) you need to have a healthy respect for assuming calculated risk, in order to face your fears by creating solutions to problems through trial and error effort, because you sometimes have to make really big mistakes, and learn from those mistakes, so that you can do better in future, which is what makes it possible for you to be hard working and honest, and that is why you can be happy!

–Paul Whiting (written March 27th, 2023, revised March 28th, 2023, revised March 29th, 2023, revised May 24th, 2023, revised May 30th, 2023, revised June 8th, 2023 and revised August 28th, 2023)

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My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: All souls began as Literally Nothing, so creating self-responsibility, self-expression, self-identity, self-care, self-love, fear facing and fulfilling work for your own soul—in context appropriate ways—are the keys to all happiness! Thus, happiness has to be engineered, since we are Literally Nothing that is self-aware! And that is why every single, little thing has to be thought into existence by being designed, built through trial and error efforts, tested for workability, verified as effective, implemented as planned and, finally, maintained and repaired. And—if necessary—every single, little thing also has to be rethought, redesigned, rebuilt through trial and error efforts, retested for workability, reverified as effective, reimplemented as planned, and then re-maintained and re-repaired, etc...

And this prose was also published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this prose applies to the message I am trying to convey through "Poet, Artist and Philosopher."

This prose was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com

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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 240 was edited on May 3rd, 2024.

"Prose is using all of the words that are necessary in order to describe all that is necessary to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 239: For Memorial Day, Part 3 — Memorial Day from 2013 (Looking Back...)

(Image by Paul Whiting)

Like Memorial Day itself, this post on my "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" blog is 'looking back' to Memorial Day 2013, when I first wrote the following new saying for such a solemn holiday as Memorial Day: "Have A Memorable Memorial Day." Thus, 'Have A Memorable Memorial Day' was the title of the original poem for my May 27th, 2013 Memorial Day post on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog. (Please see 'My Poetic Notes' below for that original poem.) And I replaced that poem—which was written for the Memorial Day 2013 post—as I often do with my writing! You see, I replaced that poem when I came across a poem that I had written on May 30th, 2021, for Memorial Day on May 31st, 2021, which is titled, 'A Memorable Memorial Day,' and which is also titled, 'A Solemn Patriotic Poem,' as can be seen below:

A Memorable Memorial Day
(Or, "A Solemn Patriotic Poem")

He taps into his memorabilia;
She taps into her photo album;
They tap into their memories;
A day that taps into the
sacrifices that were made by
souls who have given their lives...

...I tap into my courage;
I tap into my patriotism;
I tap into my humility;
And I tap into a somber,
a solemnly respectful and
"A Memorable Memorial Day."

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign (for 2012): For Memorial Day 2012, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for the all of Americans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11th, 2001, in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country. And I also listened to patriotic music that celebrates the heroic sacrifice of all the men and women in the United States Military (both past and present), whose selfless dedication made it possible for American to become free and to remain free! –Paul Whiting (written May 28th, 2012, revised May 30th, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023 and revised May 29th, 2023)

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My Writing About A New Saying 'Have A Memorable Memorial Day' For Such A Solemn Holiday As Memorial Day: On Memorial Day, rather than saying "Happy Memorial Day," I choose instead to say, "Have A Memorable Memorial Day," or I simply say, "Memorable Memorial Day." For, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance—just like a memorial service—and is truly about honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States Military. –Paul Whiting (written May 27th, 2013, revised May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022, revised May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

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My Writing About God Never Forgetting Those Who Have Served Him: For those of you who have lost loved ones, while your loved ones were serving in the United States Military, I wish you 'A Memorable Memorial Day' as a day of loving reflection and healing peace. Please always remember that God never forgets those who have served Him. –Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022 and revised May 29th, 2023)

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2022) [May 30th, 2022 Update—Continued (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2022, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for those "who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country" in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country.

And I also showed my support for the "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act," or the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which is "a culmination of years of work by national veterans groups, to finally establish that if a veteran has suffered an injury from toxic exposures like from burn pits during their deployments, they will be granted disability and healthcare benefits by the VA [Veterans Administration]."

And so, I sent letters to my Senators, via the IAVA website, urging them to support passing this critical legislation ASAP. And, after I sent those letters to my Senators, I also made a donation to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans!

–Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised December 27th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023, revised March 10th, 2023, revised May 26th, 2023, revised May 29th, 2023, revised September 10th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'my writing,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'my writings' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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"Have A Memorable Memorial Day."

The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:01 PM on Memorial Day, May 30th, 2022, in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day." And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of somber patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Parade: 40 Patriotic Songs" by American Music Experts on YouTube Music. Plus, I started playing the album after I observed one minute of silence at 3:00 PM for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) for Memorial Day.

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2023) [May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before, Like Never Before (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2023, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice," including "those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT)," which is "a war that continues to be waged to this day," because the "GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (written May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

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"Have A Memorable Memorial Day."

The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:01 PM on Memorial Day, May 29th, 2023, in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day." And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day, The Best American Patriotic Songs & Marches: God Bless America, Star Spangled Banner, Taps, & More!" by Various Artists on YouTube Music. Plus, I started playing the album after I observed one minute of silence at 3:00 PM for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) for Memorial Day.

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My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' [October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!

And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:

[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before

However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:

Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7

Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2024) [May 27th, 2024 Update No. 2 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2024, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "as our troops continue to be deployed in harm’s way to places like Iraq and Syria," which is why "this is also a good time to remind ourselves of those who keep stepping up and volunteering to risk their lives in order to keep us safe here at home every day." That is why I made the pledge to "#GoSilent with [IAVA] today at 3:00 PM local time to make sure that the sacrifice of the fallen is not forgotten, and to help us remind America of the true meaning behind Memorial Day." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (May 27th, 2024)

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"Have A Memorable Memorial Day."

The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:01 PM on Memorial Day, May 27th, 2024, in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day." And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Music" by Pianissimo Brothers on YouTube Music. Plus, I started playing the album after I observed one minute of silence at 3:00 PM for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) for Memorial Day.

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My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem is originally from my Memorial Day post for May 27th, 2013, on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog and, like Memorial Day itself, it is looking back...

...to Memorial Day 2013 when I wrote the following: "On Memorial Day, rather than saying 'Happy Memorial Day,' I choose instead to say, 'Have A Memorable Memorial Day.' Or, I simply say, 'Memorable Memorial Day,' because this day of remembrance is like a memorial service. For, Memorial Day truly is about honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States Military."

Although, to clarify, I revised the above-mentioned Memorial Day 2013 statement on Memorial Day 2023, as follows: "On Memorial Day, rather than saying 'Happy Memorial Day,' I choose instead to say, 'Have A Memorable Memorial Day,' or I simply say, 'Memorable Memorial Day.' For, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, like a memorial service, and is truly about honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States Military."

Just so you know, I replaced the original poem, which was written for this post, as I often do with my writing! And I replaced that poem when I came across a poem that I had written on May 30th, 2021, for Memorial Day on May 31st, 2021, which is titled, "A Memorable Memorial Day," and which is also titled, "A Solemn Patriotic Poem." Therefore, I wanted to show you that original poem, which is titled, "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."

And it was written like this:

Have A Memorable Memorial Day

Rather than saying
"Happy Memorial Day,"
I choose instead to say,
"Have a Memorable
Memorial Day."

Or, I simply say,
"Memorable Memorial
Day," because this day of
remembrance is like
a memorial service.

For, Memorial Day
truly is about honoring
the men and women who
died while serving in the
United States Military.

And, thus, I replaced it with the poem above.

Also, on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog where this post was originally published, beginning in January 2013, I tried to create a post for virtually every holiday and special occasion of which I was aware, but I realized by September 2014 that I did not have enough time and energy to continue posting for every holiday and special occasion. And I decided to keep the poems in that series which were the most relevant to my "Small All White in the Forest" blog, of which this is one.

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

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May 30th, 2022 Update, Written On May 26th, 2022: Have a Memorable Memorial Day, everyone. I signed a Memorial Day card "for all the brave service members who put their lives on the line to defend our country" from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, May 26th, 2022, that I received today via an email with the subject line, "Sign the card to honor our heroes this Memorial Day", which stated the following:

Paul,

Too many people forget what Memorial Day is really about: honoring the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

That’s why we’re asking our most dedicated military supporters, including you, to show their support by signing our Memorial Day card for all the brave service members who put their lives on the line to defend our country. Please, will you be one of the 100,000 grateful Americans we need to sign the card and let our troops know how much we value and appreciate their service?

SIGN THE CARD***

I served multiple deployments during my time in the Navy, and I can’t tell you how much it meant to me and my fellow service members to know that folks back home were thinking of us on important holidays like Memorial Day.

Signing a card may not seem like much, but it sends a powerful message of support and gratitude to our troops as they make immense sacrifices to keep us safe and free. So please, before your Memorial Day weekend starts, will you sign the card now to help show our troops how much you appreciate their sacrifices?

SIGN THE CARD***

Thank you for taking a moment to stand with our troops before celebrating this special day with your loved ones. It means so much.

We hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend.

— [Name redacted], USO

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our troops, "As we honor all of our military heroes this Memorial Day, we want you to know how grateful we are for your courageous service and the immense sacrifices you make every day to protect our country."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (written May 26th, 2022, revised June 22nd, 2022, revised June 25th, 2022, revised June 26th, 2022, revised July 1st, 2022, revised August 16th, 2022, revised September 4th, 2022, revised November 18th, 2022, revised November 24th, 2022, revised December 27th, 2022, revised December 29th, 2022, revised April 11th, 2023, revised April 21st, 2023, revised April 27th, 2023, revised April 28th, 2023, revised May 14th, 2023, revised May 17th, 2023, revised May 26th, 2023, revised May 28th, 2023, revised June 14th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'update,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'updates' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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May 29th, 2023 Update, Written On May 26th, 2023: Have a Memorable Memorial Day, everyone. I signed a Memorial Day card "to honor the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country" from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, May 26th, 2023, that I received today via an email with the subject line, "Before you kick off the holiday weekend, please take a moment to thank our troops.", which stated the following:

Paul,

With barbecues, parades and fireworks to look forward to, so many people tend to forget that Memorial Day is an occasion to honor the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country.

Before you celebrate this holiday weekend, we’re asking you to take a moment to remember our fallen heroes and show your support for the brave troops sacrificing so much today. Please, will you be one of the 100,000 patriotic Americans we need across emails, text messages, and advertisements to sign the card before Memorial Day ends, and let our heroes know how much folks back home value their service and sacrifice?

SIGN THE CARD***

My husband has had to miss precious time with family while serving in the U.S. Air Force, and while nothing can make up for those moments missed, I can tell you that having the support and gratitude of folks back home truly meant the world — to both of us.

As they risk their lives to protect ours, your signature, combined with thousands from other patriotic Americans, will send a powerful message of solidarity, one that can uplift a service member during their darkest moments. So please, don’t miss this opportunity to thank our troops: Sign immediately to stand with our heroes in uniform ahead of Memorial Day.

SIGN THE CARD***

Thank you for taking the time to be there for our military heroes before enjoying the holiday weekend with your loved ones. It truly means the world.

I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

—[Name redacted], USO

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our troops, "As we honor all of our military heroes this Memorial Day, we want you to know how grateful we are for your courageous service and immense sacrifices. Thank you for everything you do to keep us safe and free."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, the 'article' above is actually a video, which is why I didn't include the author(s) name(s) and the publishing date.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month! –Paul Whiting (written May 26th, 2023, revised May 28th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)
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May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued, Written On May 27th, 2023: Have a Memorable Memorial Day, everyone. I received a text message today, May 27th, 2023, from the USO (United Service Organizations), which stated the following:

Hi, it's [name redacted] from the USO. I hope your long weekend is off to a great start - but I'm reaching out today to make sure we all take a few moments to remember what this day is truly about: honoring the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country.

We owe them, and those who continue to risk their lives to defend our country, so much. That's why the USO has set a goal of 100K signatures on this special Memorial Day thank-you card for troops deployed around the world to make sure they know we're thinking about them, today and every day.

As a military spouse, I can tell you that your words of support and gratitude really do make a difference, especially when a service member is missing their family or having a tough day. So, I'm personally asking, will you add your name?***

Thank you,
[Name redacted], USO

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

So, I signed the Memorial Day card "to honor the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country." Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website. By the way, this is the second time that I have both signed the card and made a donation to the USO for Memorial Day 2023. (Please see my 'May 29th, 2023 Update, Written On May 26th, 2023,' which can be found above.)

However, I decided to sign the card again, and donate again, because it's for Memorial Day. And I made this one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our troops, "As we honor all of our military heroes this Memorial Day, we want you to know how grateful we are for your courageous service and immense sacrifices. Thank you for everything you do to keep us safe and free."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, the 'article' above is actually a video, which is why I didn't include the author(s) name(s) and the publishing date.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (written May 27th, 2023, revised May 28th, 2023, revised May 30th, 2023, revised June 2nd, 2023, revised June 28th, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised July 31st, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)
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May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further, Written On May 28th, 2023: Have a Memorable Memorial Day, everyone. I received a text message today, May 28th, 2023, from the USO (United Service Organizations), which stated the following:

Between beach days and barbecues, too many people forget that Memorial Day is about remembering all the courageous heroes who have lost their lives in service to our country.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧. 𝐈𝐧 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐬. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦?

Please, sign the thank-you card now to help reach our 100K signature goal and show our troops that you value and appreciate their immense sacrifices:***

-Team USO

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

So, I signed the Memorial Day card "to honor the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country." Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website. By the way, this is the third time that I have both signed the card and made a donation to the USO for Memorial Day 2023. (Please see my 'May 29th, 2023 Update, Written On May 26th, 2023,' and my 'May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued, Written On May 27th, 2023,' which can be found above.)

However, I decided to sign the card once more, and donate once more, because it's for Memorial Day. And I made this one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our troops, "As we honor all of our military heroes this Memorial Day, we want you to know how grateful we are for your courageous service and immense sacrifices. Thank you for everything you do to keep us safe and free."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, the 'article' above is actually a video, which is why I didn't include the author(s) name(s) and the publishing date.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (written May 28th, 2023, revised May 30th, 2023, revised June 2nd, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised July 31st, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)
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May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More: Have a Memorable Memorial Day, everyone. I received a text message today, May 29th, 2023, from the USO (United Service Organizations), which stated the following:

This Memorial Day, help us reach 100k signatures on the card supporting our military heroes. They need to know we have their backs, so please, add your name now! >>***

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

So, I signed the Memorial Day card "to honor the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country." Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website. By the way, this is the fourth time that I have both signed the card and made a donation to the USO for Memorial Day 2023. (Please see my 'May 29th, 2023 Update, Written On May 26th, 2023,' and my 'May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued, Written On May 27th, 2023,' as well as my 'May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further, Written On May 28th, 2023,' which can be found above.)

However, I decided to sign the card one final time, and donate one final time, because it's for Memorial Day. And I made this one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our troops, "As we honor all of our military heroes this Memorial Day, we want you to know how grateful we are for your courageous service and immense sacrifices. Thank you for everything you do to keep us safe and free."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, the 'article' above is actually a video, which is why I didn't include the author(s) name(s) and the publishing date.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (written May 29th, 2023, revised May 30th, 2023, revised June 2nd, 2023, revised July 28th, 2023, revised July 31st, 2023, revised September 27th, 2023 and revised November 18th, 2023)
---------------------------------------------
May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before, Written On May 30th, 2023: Have a Memorable Memorial Day, everyone. I received an email from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, May 30th, 2023, with the subject line, "Yesterday, today, and always.", which stated the following:

Dear Paul,

Memorial Day weekend signifies many things: the start of summer, outdoor festivities and time spent with loved ones. But most importantly, this day is about solemn remembrance, commemorating the brave service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.

Yesterday, today and every day, we must reflect on the sacrifice and service of American troops throughout our great nation's history. I am eternally grateful to all the brave heroes in uniform who put their lives on the line to defend the freedoms of our country. We must remember and honor their bravery and commitment every single day of the year.

As you get back to your long weekend, I want to thank this community of dedicated military supporters for understanding what this day is truly all about. No matter what, the USO will continue to remain steadfast in our commitment to honor and support service members and their families — and you are critical to that mission.

Thank you for being a part of this patriotic community and for standing with our courageous heroes in uniform.

Solemnly,

[Name redacted]
[Title redacted]
United Service Organizations, Inc.

So, I wanted to share the email above with you, my readers, as my last 'update' with regard to me signing the USO's Memorial Day card for 2023. You see, I signed the USO's card four times to thank our troops, plus I made four donations to the USO, based upon one email and three text messages that I received from May 26th, 2023 to May 29th, 2023.

(Please see my 'May 29th, 2023 Update, Written On May 26th, 2023,' and my 'May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued, Written On May 27th, 2023,' as well as my 'May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further, Written On May 28th, 2023,' in addition to my 'May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More,' which can be found above.)

And I did this in order to show my appreciation for the service and sacrifices of our U.S. Military Personnel and our U.S. Veterans. For, Memorial Day truly is a solemn occasion—which is like a memorial service—to honor those who have died while serving in the United States Military. –Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2023 and revised July 28th, 2023)

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May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before, Like Never Before [My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2023)]:

For Memorial Day 2023, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice," including "those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT)," which is "a war that continues to be waged to this day," because the "GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (written May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

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October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 [My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!

And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:

[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before

However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:

Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7

Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)

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May 27th, 2024 Update No. 1, Written On May 23rd, 2024: Have a Memorable Memorial Day, everyone. I signed a Memorial Day card "to honor the military heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country" from the USO (United Service Organizations) today, May 23rd, 2024, that I received today via an email with the subject line, "Before you celebrate Memorial Day weekend…", which stated the following:

SIGN THE CARD

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

HONOR OUR SERVICE MEMBERS BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

ADD YOUR NAME***

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Paul,

Before Memorial Day weekend arrives, we want to make sure we all take a moment to remember what this holiday is really about: honoring the heroes who've made the ultimate sacrifice for our country — and those currently risking their lives to defend our freedoms.

We're counting on 100,000 proud military supporters like you to sign the card via email and text message before Memorial Day ends to show your support for active-duty service members deployed around the world: Will you join thousands of other military supporters and thank our heroes before midnight?

THANK OUR HEROES

Right now, our service members are facing emerging threats from the Iranian military in the Middle East and increased hostility from the governments of Niger and Chad.

In the face of these escalating conflicts around the world, your gratitude and support right now mean so much to our service members risking their lives for our country.

So please, don't miss this chance to honor the fallen and show all our heroes in uniform serving across the globe how much you appreciate everything they do for us. Sign the card now to thank our service members this Memorial Day.

THANK OUR HEROES

Thank you for standing with those who serve this Memorial Day.

The USO

SIGN THE CARD***

***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]

Plus, after I signed the card, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website to say to our troops, "As we honor our military heroes this Memorial Day, we want you to know how grateful we are for your courageous service and the immense sacrifices you make every day to protect our country."

In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! You see, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message. Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.

By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:

"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."

So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!

–Paul Whiting (May 23rd, 2024)

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May 27th, 2024 Update No. 2 [My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2024)]:

For Memorial Day 2024, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "as our troops continue to be deployed in harm’s way to places like Iraq and Syria," which is why "this is also a good time to remind ourselves of those who keep stepping up and volunteering to risk their lives in order to keep us safe here at home every day." That is why I made the pledge to "#GoSilent with [IAVA] today at 3:00 PM local time to make sure that the sacrifice of the fallen is not forgotten, and to help us remind America of the true meaning behind Memorial Day." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (May 27th, 2024)

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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 239 was edited on May 27th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 238: For Memorial Day, Part 2 — Memorial Day from 2012 (Looking Back...)

(Image by Paul Whiting)

The inspiration for the prose below is originally from a May 28th, 2012 post quote titled, "My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence" (please see below) that is from my "For The Year 2012 — My Posting Sabbatical, Part 1" post, which was published on my "Small All White in the Forest" and "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blogs; therefore, this post is 'looking back' at a post quote from 2012 and not a blog post.

The #GoSilent Campaign by IAVA

On Memorial Day, at 3:00 PM local time,

#GoSilent for the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence.

-Paul Whiting

(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)

"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign (for 2012): For Memorial Day 2012, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for the all of Americans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11th, 2001, in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country. And I also listened to patriotic music that celebrates the heroic sacrifice of all the men and women in the United States Military (both past and present), whose selfless dedication made it possible for American to become free and to remain free! –Paul Whiting (written May 28th, 2012, revised May 30th, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023 and revised May 29th, 2023)

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2022) [May 30th, 2022 Update—Continued (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2022, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for those "who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country" in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country.

And I also showed my support for the "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act," or the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which is "a culmination of years of work by national veterans groups, to finally establish that if a veteran has suffered an injury from toxic exposures like from burn pits during their deployments, they will be granted disability and healthcare benefits by the VA [Veterans Administration]."

And so, I sent letters to my Senators, via the IAVA website, urging them to support passing this critical legislation ASAP. And, after I sent those letters to my Senators, I also made a donation to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans!

–Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised December 27th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023, revised March 10th, 2023, revised May 26th, 2023, revised May 29th, 2023, revised September 10th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'my writing,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'my writings' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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The #GoSilent Campaign

The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 30th, 2022, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of somber patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Parade: 40 Patriotic Songs" by American Music Experts on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2023) [May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before, Like Never Before (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2023, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice," including "those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT)," which is "a war that continues to be waged to this day," because the "GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (written May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

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The #GoSilent Campaign

The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 29th, 2023, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day, The Best American Patriotic Songs & Marches: God Bless America, Star Spangled Banner, Taps, & More!" by Various Artists on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."

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My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' [October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!

And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:

[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before

However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:

Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7

Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2024) [May 27th, 2024 Update No. 2 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2024, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "as our troops continue to be deployed in harm’s way to places like Iraq and Syria," which is why "this is also a good time to remind ourselves of those who keep stepping up and volunteering to risk their lives in order to keep us safe here at home every day." That is why I made the pledge to "#GoSilent with [IAVA] today at 3:00 PM local time to make sure that the sacrifice of the fallen is not forgotten, and to help us remind America of the true meaning behind Memorial Day." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (May 27th, 2024)

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The #GoSilent Campaign

The image above is a screenshot of my smartphone alarm going off at 3:00 PM on Memorial Day, May 27th, 2024, to memorialize my participation in observing one minute of silence for "The #GoSilent Campaign" by the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America). And in the image you can see one of the many albums that I listened to over the weekend—of solemn patriotic music—that is titled, "Memorial Day Music" by Pianissimo Brothers on YouTube Music, which I started playing at 3:01 PM in order to represent the holiday wish "Have A Memorable Memorial Day."

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My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: The inspiration for this prose is originally from a May 28th, 2012 post quote titled, "My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence" that is from my "For The Year 2012 — My Posting Sabbatical, Part 1" post, which was published on my "Small All White in the Forest" and "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blogs and, like Memorial Day itself, it is looking back...

...to Memorial Day 2012 when, for the first time, "I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for the all of Americans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11th, 2001 in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country."

And, ten years later, for Memorial Day 2022, this post is "in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country." And that is why I showed my support for the "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act," or the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which is "a culmination of years of work by national veterans groups, to finally establish that if a veteran has suffered an injury from toxic exposures like from burn pits during their deployments, they will be granted disability and healthcare benefits by the VA [Veterans Administration]." And so, I sent a letter to my Senators, via the IAVA website, urging them to support passing this critical legislation ASAP. And, after I sent those letter to my Senators, I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel.

And this prose was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this prose applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This prose was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

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"#GOSILENT" 2022 from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA):

https://iava.org/go-silent-2022

This Memorial Day, remember to Honor the Fallen.

#GoSilent with IAVA at 3:00 PM local time.

This Memorial Day, IAVA will #GoSilent in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country, at 3PM local. Gather your friends and family across the country and pause with us for a national moment of silence to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

TAKE THE PLEDGE:

Commit to #GoSilent with IAVA on Memorial Day

https://iava.org/go-silent-2022/#pledge

JOIN US IN PAYING TRIBUTE:

Thank you for joining us to #GoSilent to honor the fallen this Memorial Day. IAVA’s annual #GoSilent campaign is about raising awareness and recognition for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country.

We encourage you to take the pledge to incorporate a moment of pause and recognition on May [30th] at 3PM local time and help spread the word to remind the nation about what this day truly represents. We developed this toolkit (https://iava.org/go-silent-social-media-kit) to support your efforts in paying tribute to our incredible veterans and their families on your personal and organizational social media channels.

https://iava.org/go-silent-2022

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"#GOSILENT" 2023 from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA):

https://iava.org/go-silent-2023

This Memorial Day, remember to Honor the Fallen.

#GoSilent with IAVA at 3:00 PM local time.

This Memorial Day, at 3PM local time, IAVA will #GoSilent in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Gather your friends and family across the country and pause with us for a national moment of silence to honor those who have sacrificed so much.

TAKE THE PLEDGE

Commit to #GoSilent with IAVA on Memorial Day

https://iava.org/go-silent-2023/#pledge

JOIN US IN PAYING TRIBUTE

Thank you for joining us to #GoSilent to honor the fallen this Memorial Day. IAVA’s annual #GoSilent campaign is about raising awareness and recognition for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

This year IAVA especially wants to remind America of those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT). In a war that continues to be waged to this day, GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers.

We encourage you to take the pledge to incorporate a moment of pause and recognition on May 29th at 3PM local time and help spread the word to remind the nation about what this day truly represents. We developed this toolkit (https://iava.org/go-silent-social-media-kit) to support your efforts in paying tribute to our incredible veterans and their families on your personal and organizational social media channels.

https://iava.org/go-silent-2023

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"#GOSILENT" 2024 from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA):

https://iava.org/go-silent-2024

This Memorial Day, remember to Honor the Fallen.

#GoSilent with IAVA at 3:00 PM local time.

This Memorial Day, at 3PM local time, IAVA will #GoSilent in honor of America’s servicemembers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Gather your friends and family across the country and pause with us for a national moment of silence to honor those who have sacrificed so much.

TAKE THE PLEDGE

Commit to #GoSilent with IAVA on Memorial Day

https://iava.org/go-silent-2024/#pledge

JOIN US IN PAYING TRIBUTE

Thank you for joining us to #GoSilent to honor the fallen this Memorial Day. IAVA’s annual #GoSilent campaign is about raising awareness and recognition for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

This year IAVA especially wants to remind America of those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT). In a war that continues to be waged to this day, GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers.

We encourage you to take the pledge to incorporate a moment of pause and recognition on May 27th at 3PM local time and help spread the word to remind the nation about what this day truly represents. We developed this toolkit (https://iava.org/go-silent-social-media-kit) to support your efforts in paying tribute to our incredible veterans and their families on your personal and organizational social media channels.

https://iava.org/go-silent-2024

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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 238 was edited on May 27th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]

Post No. 237: For Memorial Day, Part 1 — Memorial Day from 2011 (Looking Back...)

Image from The White House Blog

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: "If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States." Dial 988

The poem below is originally from my Memorial Day post for May 30th, 2011, on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog and, like Memorial Day itself, it is "looking back" to Memorial Day 2011, when I wrote this poem titled, "A Sacred Respect," which is in memory of those who served their country and who died on "the other, lesser-known battlefield" of suicide.

A Sacred Respect

There is A Sacred Respect that "We,
The People" owe to Every Soul who
sacrifices themselves to keep us free
from the time that we are born!

And "We, The People" can feel This
Sacred Respect in our souls—with all
of our heart and mind, body and soul,
we can feel This Sacred Respect!

It is A Sacred Respect to honor each and
every single Veterans death, whether it
is on the battlefield of war, or on "the
other, lesser-known battlefield!"

So, if you are Military Personnel, you
feel This Sacred Respect absolutely, for
you would truly move Heaven and Earth
to honor each and every single Veteran!

And if you are A Grassroots Patriot, you
feel The Sacred Respect completely, for
you would honor each and every single
Veteran's sacrifice, service and heroism!

And if you are An Everyday Patriot, you
feel A Sacred Respect entirely, for you
would offer your condolences to say,
"Their Service Mattered Dearly!"

For, there is A Sacred Respect that "We,
The People" feel so deeply in Our Souls:
It is The Sacred Respect to honor the lives
of every one of Our United States Veterans!

-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., A Creative Writer)
"I maybe say too much about how life really is!"

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign (for 2012): For Memorial Day 2012, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for the all of Americans who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since September 11th, 2001, in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country. And I also listened to patriotic music that celebrates the heroic sacrifice of all the men and women in the United States Military (both past and present), whose selfless dedication made it possible for American to become free and to remain free! –Paul Whiting (written May 28th, 2012, revised May 30th, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023 and revised May 29th, 2023)

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My Writing About A New Saying 'Have A Memorable Memorial Day' For Such A Solemn Holiday As Memorial Day: On Memorial Day, rather than saying "Happy Memorial Day," I choose instead to say, "Have A Memorable Memorial Day," or I simply say, "Memorable Memorial Day." For, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance—just like a memorial service—and is truly about honoring the men and women who died while serving in the United States Military. –Paul Whiting (written May 27th, 2013, revised May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022, revised May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

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My Writing About God Never Forgetting Those Who Have Served Him: For those of you who have lost loved ones, while your loved ones were serving in the United States Military, I wish you 'A Memorable Memorial Day' as a day of loving reflection and healing peace. Please always remember that God never forgets those who have served Him. –Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022 and revised May 29th, 2023)

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2022) [May 30th, 2022 Update—Continued (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2022, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence for those "who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those we have lost due to their exposures to toxic chemicals while serving our great country" in order to remember and honor their lives, their legacies and their last full measure of devotion for our country.

And I also showed my support for the "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act," or the PACT Act (H.R. 3967), which is "a culmination of years of work by national veterans groups, to finally establish that if a veteran has suffered an injury from toxic exposures like from burn pits during their deployments, they will be granted disability and healthcare benefits by the VA [Veterans Administration]."

And so, I sent letters to my Senators, via the IAVA website, urging them to support passing this critical legislation ASAP. And, after I sent those letters to my Senators, I also made a donation to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans!

–Paul Whiting (written May 30th, 2022, revised May 31st, 2022, revised July 19th, 2022, revised December 27th, 2022, revised January 31st, 2023, revised March 10th, 2023, revised May 26th, 2023, revised May 29th, 2023, revised September 10th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

[I feel like I need to clarify why there are so many 'revised dates' on this 'my writing,' just like there are often times so many 'revised dates' on other 'my writings' similar to this one! You see, I really try to keep my writing consistent as possible across all of my blogs. Therefore, as I am writing, I try to use the same phraseology wherever possible with regard to similar types of my writing so that, when I am editing my writing, I can change all of the similar writing at the same time and in the same way! Thus, a lot of the revisions indicated above, after my name (–Paul Whiting), and shown right after the original 'written date,' are often times due to these aforementioned consistent-writing revisions.]

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2023) [May 29th, 2023 Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before, Like Never Before (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2023, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "for our nation’s heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice," including "those who lost their lives during the Global War on Terror (GWOT)," which is "a war that continues to be waged to this day," because the "GWOT has killed more than 7,000 U.S. troops across more than two decades – every one of them volunteers." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (written May 29th, 2023 and revised May 27th, 2024)

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My Writing About How I Have Changed The Way That I Label My Blog Posts 'Updates' For Any Additional 'Updates' That I Write, After The First 'Update,' By Using A Simple Numbering System, Which Starts With The First 'Update' [October 24th, 2023 Update No. 7 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

I have changed the way I label the blog post 'updates' that I write because I oftentimes write more than one 'update' per day!

And in the past, I have labeled the second, third, fourth and fifth 'update' with the following extensions—on the days that I write more than 'update'—to differentiate any additional 'updates' from the first one, as follows:

[1st] Month Day, Year Update
[2nd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued
[3rd] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further
[4th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More
[5th] Month Day, Year Update—Continued Further Some More Than Before

However today, October 24th, 2023, I actually had more than five 'updates' to write, so I decided to change how I differentiate any additional 'updates,' from the first 'update,' by using a simple numbering system, which actually starts with the first 'update' that I write, as follows:

Month Day, Year Update No. 1
Month Day, Year Update No. 2
Month Day, Year Update No. 3
Month Day, Year Update No. 4
Month Day, Year Update No. 5
Month Day, Year Update No. 6
Month Day, Year Update No. 7

Therefore, that is why this 'update' is the seventh one for today! –Paul Whiting (written October 24th, 2023 and revised October 28th, 2023)

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My Writing About IAVA's National Moment Of Silence, A.K.A. "The #GoSilent Campaign" (for 2024) [May 27th, 2024 Update No. 2 (Originally From My Blog Post Titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," Which Is On My "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Blog)]:

For Memorial Day 2024, I participated in the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) national moment of silence "as our troops continue to be deployed in harm’s way to places like Iraq and Syria," which is why "this is also a good time to remind ourselves of those who keep stepping up and volunteering to risk their lives in order to keep us safe here at home every day." That is why I made the pledge to "#GoSilent with [IAVA] today at 3:00 PM local time to make sure that the sacrifice of the fallen is not forgotten, and to help us remind America of the true meaning behind Memorial Day." And I also made a donation to the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) in order to show my support for IAVA's #GoSilent Campaign and for our U.S. Veterans. –Paul Whiting (May 27th, 2024)

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My Writing Notes:

The reason that I wrote this poem can be summed up with the following statement: This poem is originally from my Memorial Day post for May 30th, 2011, on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog and, like Memorial Day itself, it is looking back...

...to Memorial Day 2011, when I wrote this poem titled, "A Sacred Respect," which is in memory of those who served their country and who died on "the other, lesser-known battlefield" of suicide.

By the way, this poem is also a rewrite of a poem that I wrote for Veterans Day that is titled, "A Sacred Trust," which is published on this blog. (Please see "A Sacred Trust-Style Poem" in labels for the poem.)

And this poem was also published on my "Small All White in the Forest" blog (please see the hyperlink below for the blog), since I feel that the message in this poem applies to the message that I am trying to convey through "Small All White in the Forest."

This poem was written in Portland, Oregon.

-Paulee

https://smallallwhiteintheforest.blogspot.com

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The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release      July 06, 2011

Statement by the President on Change of Condolence Letter Policy

As Commander in Chief, I am deeply grateful for the service of all our men and women in uniform, and grieve for the loss of those who suffer from the wounds of war - seen and unseen. Since taking office, I’ve been committed to removing the stigma associated with the unseen wounds of war, which is why I’ve worked to expand our mental health budgets, and ensure that all our men and women in uniform receive the care they need.

As a next step and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the military chain of command, I have also decided to reverse a long-standing policy of not sending condolence letters to the families of service members who commit suicide while deployed to a combat zone. This decision was made after a difficult and exhaustive review of the former policy, and I did not make it lightly. This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely. They didn’t die because they were weak. And the fact that they didn’t get the help they needed must change. Our men and women in uniform have borne the incredible burden of our wars, and we need to do everything in our power to honor their service, and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation.

https://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/06/statement-president-change-condolence-letter-policy

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International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP):

Welcome!

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) is dedicated to: preventing suicidal behaviour, alleviating its effects, and providing a forum for academics, mental health professionals, crisis workers, volunteers and suicide survivors.

Founded by the late Professor Erwin Ringel and Dr. Norman Farberow in 1960, IASP now includes professionals and volunteers from more than fifty different countries. IASP is a Non-Governmental Organization in official relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO) concerned with suicide prevention.

If you are feeling suicidal or know of someone who needs help, browse Help (https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/) to find a crisis center anywhere in the world.

https://www.iasp.info

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (please see the hyperlink below for the website):

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. While some areas may be currently able to connect to the Lifeline by dialing 988, this dialing code will be available to everyone across the United States starting on July 16, 2022.

Talk To Someone Now

If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States.

What Happens When I Call The Lifeline?

First, you’ll hear a message telling you that you’ve reached the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

We’ll play you a little hold music while we connect you.

A skilled, trained crisis worker who works at the Lifeline network crisis center closest to you will answer the phone.

This person will listen to you, understand how your problem is affecting you, provide support, and share any resources that may be helpful.

Remember, your call is confidential and free.

Should I Call The Lifeline?

No matter what problems you’re dealing with, whether or not you’re thinking about suicide, if you need someone to lean on for emotional support, call the Lifeline.

People call to talk about lots of things: substance abuse, economic worries, relationships, sexual identity, getting over abuse, depression, mental and physical illness, and loneliness, to name a few.

https://988lifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is now: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: "If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States." Dial 988

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This "Paul Whiting — A Creative Writer" Post No. 237 was edited on May 27th, 2024.

"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]