civies – Nancy Tart: Writing for Life

Two Cadet Homecoming

January 7, 2020

Two Cadet Homecoming!

On January 4^th, a beautiful day with misty rainshowers threatening the gorgeous parade ground at Camp Blanding, I watched both of my cadets march in their pass and review (ceremony parade at the end of the 2019-2020 winter encampment). I almost cried two years ago when it was just Christina. As I watched this day, I was overwhelmed with pride and a bit of anxiety.

Kimberly, short blondie (about middle in each picture); in her barracks, AF Blues, ABUs

Kimberly is twelve. My spunky little fireball has taken her future by the horns the last two semesters and spent her twelfth birthday, as she’d planned it for almost two years, attending her first Civil Air Patrol meeting as a cadet. I’m not sure Mom (me!) is ready for her to take on so much independence just yet. I’m missing my snuggly, grinning, dog-wrestling toddler who used Sheba as a pillow-pet before we knew those toys existed.

Christina was OIC of food services. (In English, your know, civie-speak, please?) That means she was the basically the kitchen manager for encampment. I’m sure it was far more detailed and with at least some oversight, but that’s the break-down bare-bones version of her staff role this time. I’m sure, based on these pictures, that she is fairly comfortable giving orders.

Christina is far left in both pictures. Winter Encampment 2019/2020

Moments like this both amaze me and, honestly, almost scare me.

How can my babies be so mature already?

How did 16 and 12 years flash by?

Life goes by so quickly. I’ve learned to just release and enjoy. Watch them grow and smile as they fly. I love learning the young women they are becoming! Thank you, Jesus, for the opportunity to be a mom. Thank you for Christina and Kimberly and for the time I’ve had with them. I pray for them daily.

I pray as they soar. I pray they keep their eyes on you, Jesus, reach for the stars, determine to achieve what appears impossible, and reach down to help others on their climb.

I’m sure that’s just the misty rain in my face… or are those bits of joyful tears?

Parade is done, rain begins to fall, and we wait in the van for the cadets to change into civies for the trip home.

“Freedom!” yelps the stranger with a bag; “Mom, no pictures,” but she smiles anyway.

Now I get to hear their challenges, thrills, new experiences, friends, and new goals they’ve faced and discovered on the long ride home. Homecomings. I am beginning to understand my parents’ tears on our Christmas surprise (when almost all of us showed up together!)…

Type at you next time,

~Nancy Tart

Plans Change

Sometimes plans change; some life encouragement 🙂

November 3, 2018

Plans Change

Sometimes life just doesn’t go the way you want it to go.

You have to let it go.

Tonight I wanted to go to a get-together. I’d been planning for about a week

Everything seemed to be working out okay; the washing machine showed up early (Amen!), Anastasia got dropped off before 4, Christina had packed up her “civies” (I still mentally laugh hearing her call regular clothes that.) in her bag when I dropped her at the Cyber Patriot qualification in the morning, and we just had to get the house clean and get everyone ready before 3:40, pick up Christina at 4, and head to the get-together – we’d be late, but there.

Then there was a reservation for 5:15pm. No one else was working and I can’t cancel on them because it’s morally wrong to promise someone something and cancel an hour and a half before you have to pick them up. My word matters. And, I’m really thankful for my jobs! I know God gives us the jobs we get and we are expected to do our best. (I look at it as “God wants them in my car for some reason!”)

Honesty.

I had an obligation to them.

Adjust plan: girls clean up and get ready by 6:15, when I was expected back, and we’d be late, but would still be able to hang out for a little bit.

Well, the plan got seriously adjusted! I ended up having to cover starting at 3pm. Picked Christina up at 4, then as I’m on the way there, another ride for 4:30 (yikes! I can’t teleport through traffic!) rolls in… long story short – it’s almost 7pm when I get home because I was late to both rides after Christina. No one was ready. And I can’t (legally) pack all 8 of us into the 4-Runner. We are a 30 minute drive (usually 40 minutes with me driving because every traffic light in Saint Augustine always turns red when I’m three carlengths from it!) and it would take me about 15 minutes to get everyone ready. Plus, to use the 4-Runner, we’d have to have left at least 2 people behind. Nope. So, we end up spending the night at home. This was “cool” (per Jaquline) because we have awesome toys (per Anastasia), Christina can cook something good, and we’ll turn the front room into a dance party!

Sometimes a monkey wrench gets tossed into your plans, but if you learn to roll with it, you can turn it into a “look for the positive” teaching moment. I love finding teaching moments in life!

Plan changed.

I have to let my plans go.

Accept that plans change and I have little control over it. All I can control is my attitude toward it. (I’m super thankful for my jobs!) The last ride was a guy who had spent almost 40 years in the military (he chatted with Christina about the pros and cons) and a lady who had been a teacher and principal in St John’s County for 34 years (at one job her whole life)! So just maybe, God wanted us to pick them up and encourage each other. Only God knows! (That’s me, looking for the positive!)

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

My Civil Air Patrol Cadet

July 12, 2018

My Civil Air Patrol Cadet

One day Louis was driving past the Saint Augustine Civil Air Patrol building and saw cadets marching around in uniform. He stopped, asked them what they were, and raced home to tell Christina that he found the perfect activity for her.

She is my flying nut. She loves planes. Just like Lucas loves anything with wheels – she loves anything that flies (except mosquitoes and no-see-ums). Better said; Christina loves anything mechanical that flies.

She’d studied famous flying people, physics, beat her way through math, and taken a helicopter tour for her birthday. She’d talked with pilots as Louis shuttled them to the airport from their hotels.

She had the time of her life when some friends took her to the Jacksonville Air Show! (Photo credit above & below – Hannah Clark & crew)

The poster from that day was the first one tacked to her wall.

So, she “visited” the CAP meetings with Louis for three weeks – but Wednesday morning after her first meeting, she was like, “Mom, I’m going to join Civil Air Patrol.” Of course, Christina’s decisions are never small – “I’m going to get to officer rank and they have all these things I can learn so I can get into programs to help me learn to fly…” and she continued talking me through the book and information someone had given her.

She is a scrimping saver and refused any help with CAP dues, fees, or for her first uniform. (This is a point of pride for her – to be able to cover all her own expenses. She saw God’s love in action, though, when she thought she wouldn’t be able to go to winter encampment but our amazing church family gave her enough money for the trip and the extra items needed!)

CAP gave her a grant to go toward buying her first blues uniform though – something about earning a certain rank. (These are my borrowed shoes for her first day wearing blues. Her real ones have a one inch heel and no decoration.)

Lucas loves Christina’s uniform – especially the caps (aka, covers).

Thanks to CAP, Christina has matured greatly in social interaction (you can order younger siblings around all day, but it is different ordering someone else around!). She is more confident, more physically active, emotionally and physically stronger, and enjoying the company of respectful, goal-driven, encouraging fellow cadets.

Our family has learned some new terms: water is hydration, anything not a uniform is civies, a funny backpack with a water bag inside and a fishtank-hose looking straw hanging around the cadet’s neck is a camelback, among others.

We’ve swelled with pride watching our cadet march in parades (even if we only get a picture of her back half hidden behind another cadet)…

…assist veterans in her blues…

…and attend encampment as a student…

…and staff.

She’s constantly challenging herself to new higher limits – one day, I’m sure, she’ll touch the sky!

Thanks for reading!

Type at you next time…

~Nancy Tart

Tag: civies

Two Cadet Homecoming

Like this:

Plans Change

Like this:

If you liked it, please share!

Like this:

If you liked it, please share!

Like this:

If you liked it, please share!

Like this: