Part of having a large family means there are loved ones everywhere. That's usually good. I mean, I can travel almost anywhere in this large country and have a place to stay! Yet, when there is a tragedy--whether natural or a massacre--it seems there are people we need to account for.
My cousin, Jesse, is a great athlete and amazing runner. He's a big guy, and he often wins races for his bracket. He blogs about his races at Pedals & Paddles Worldwide. He always seems to be somewhere amazing for a foot race or cycling event.
He's also from Boston.
Hearing about a tragedy at home is hard. It's hard for all of us. It's down right scary when it happens, and you have to worry about people you love. I'm from Colorado, and we've had more than our share of shootings and violent massacres. It's just not fair to have to call up friends and loved ones to see if they're OK. It also doesn't seem fair to account for your loved ones, only to remember that others weren't so lucky...
In my family, all we needed to hear was about a bomb at the Boston Marathon to think of Jesse. Was he running in that race? If he was, were my aunt, her partner, or my other cousin there cheering him on?
Through the family grapevine, we quickly found out he was OK. We later found out that, yes, he'd been at the race, cheering friends on near the 20 mile marker. I felt relief, and then struggled with that same feeling of guilt that I'm too familiar with now: that wretched feeling that not everyone got good news yesterday.
So, today, I wanted to write and send my love out to everyone affected by this massacre. To everyone who got hurt, to the survivors, to the injured, to the families and friends, to the first responders, and just to everyone who felt pain and fear after reading about it on the news, I'm sending love your way.
Jesse is running in The Pittsburgh Marathon in a few weeks. His goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon to run next year. In my opinion, there's no better way to fight back against the vicious attack the city of Boston went through yesterday. Good on you, Jesse. Kick ass in Pittsburgh!
Link to Jesse's blog entry on The Boston Marathon
Me, I used to run. My running decreased a lot after Oliver was born, and it stopped all together after getting pregnant with Jo. We've been dealing with snow yesterday and today, and it's going to continue into tomorrow. This weekend, I plan on lacing up my shoes and going for jog. One mile, that's my goal. It's not a marathon, but it's a little bit in honor of all the runners yesterday--many of whom went so far and never got to finish.
Edit: A Facebook group has been set up called "Run for Boston 4/17." They're asking people to go for a run tomorrow. If people can, they also ask for everyone to take a picture of themselves wearing blue & yellow and carrying a sign that says, "Run for Boston." It's supposed to snow and be a high of 37 here, but I think I'll try to get a little jog in for the people and city of Boston.
Showing posts with label Aunt Linda. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aunt Linda. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The Rice Paddy Navy
My aunt is a published author! Well, to be fair, she's had numerous articles and pieces published before, but this is her first book. The Rice Paddy Navy: US Soldiers Undercover in China is on sale today. I've been eagerly awaiting its debut!
Her father was deployed to China during World War II. I'm told he had endless stories about his experiences there, and that's how my aunt became interested in the US forces in China.
Here's the book description from my aunt:
An American naval officer, Commander Milton Miles, and a Chinese spymaster, General Dai Li, teamed up in a quest to uproot the Japanese from China in World War II. Initially ordered to gather weather information and intelligence to aid the U.S. Navy’s Pacific fleet, Miles joined Dai to form the Sino-American Cooperative Organization. They built a network of military training camps, transforming Chinese peasants, pirates, and police officers into guerrilla soldiers and saboteurs.
My father, Chief Ship Fitter Charles L. Kush, was among those deployed to China as an instructor. He joined his students in the field to “set off explosives and run like hell.”
The Rice Paddy Navy features some well-known characters like “Wild Bill” Donovan, founder of the OSS, “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell who carved out the Burma Road, Claire Chennault, father of the Flying Tigers, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. But the real heroes of the story are young navy men and ordinary Chinese from all walks of life. It is a story of adventure, friendship, political rivalry, and tragedy.
I'm so excited about her work, and I'm excited to tell my readers about it, too. So, please, if there's a history buff in your family or circle of friends, or someone you know who is a total bibliophile, send them this book! It would make a nice Christmas gift (hint, hint!). If you can't find it at your local bookstore, it's for sale here on amazon.com. There's also a Kindle edition!
Her father was deployed to China during World War II. I'm told he had endless stories about his experiences there, and that's how my aunt became interested in the US forces in China.
Here's the book description from my aunt:
An American naval officer, Commander Milton Miles, and a Chinese spymaster, General Dai Li, teamed up in a quest to uproot the Japanese from China in World War II. Initially ordered to gather weather information and intelligence to aid the U.S. Navy’s Pacific fleet, Miles joined Dai to form the Sino-American Cooperative Organization. They built a network of military training camps, transforming Chinese peasants, pirates, and police officers into guerrilla soldiers and saboteurs.
My father, Chief Ship Fitter Charles L. Kush, was among those deployed to China as an instructor. He joined his students in the field to “set off explosives and run like hell.”
The Rice Paddy Navy features some well-known characters like “Wild Bill” Donovan, founder of the OSS, “Vinegar Joe” Stilwell who carved out the Burma Road, Claire Chennault, father of the Flying Tigers, and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. But the real heroes of the story are young navy men and ordinary Chinese from all walks of life. It is a story of adventure, friendship, political rivalry, and tragedy.
I'm so excited about her work, and I'm excited to tell my readers about it, too. So, please, if there's a history buff in your family or circle of friends, or someone you know who is a total bibliophile, send them this book! It would make a nice Christmas gift (hint, hint!). If you can't find it at your local bookstore, it's for sale here on amazon.com. There's also a Kindle edition!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
A Kushy Weekend
For my Grandma Jo's memorial weekend, we had aunts, uncles, cousins, and so many others here in town. Aunt Gerry and Wayne flew in from Maine, Tina and Aunt Linda flew in from Boston, Uncle Mark came from Ohio, Uncle Matt came from Missouri, Julie came from Nebraska, Aunt Jackie came from California, Jana and Ian (who I met for the first time) came from Portland, and Aunt Carol, Uncle Mike, Missy, Mia, Glen, Jo and Jack all drove in from Iowa.
Tina stayed at my apartment. I was so stoked to have my first house guest! Andrew and I totally bleached the shower and toilets and vacuumed and had fun grocery shopping. I'm telling you, we're ready to be a regular bed & breakfast now. Tina was the best house guest, ever (and I'm not just saying that because she's my only house guest). She totally let me give her a tour and just generally showed an interest in everything, right down to the bagels. Hurray for her! Next time, I'll make her try Rock Band. Also next time, we won't be so exhausted from socializing so we can go for runs!
Having Julie in town was a hoot, too. I spent a lot of my time with her and Tina, just generally laughing it up and throwing our opinions out about everyone and every thing. Good times.
Uncle Mark and I talked a lot about the Disney World Half Marathon we're running in January. Turns out, in addition to us and my mom, his daughters Dina and Amber are planning on running in it. This'll be too much fun!
Andrew enjoyed meeting people and demonstrating his magic skills. At some point, he even had Jana and Ian practicing the disappearing coin trick. Too cute.
The most difficult part of the weekend was, of course, the memorial itself. We went up to Andrew's parents' land near Fairplay and sang and talked of our memories. I started to get upset about scattering Grandma's ashes. Not that I thought it was a bad idea; I knew it's what she'd wanted. It just is hard to say goodbye, I guess. I felt angry about not having her with us, and I hated thinking about everything she doesn't get to see. I know I'll move past those feelings and be able to enjoy her memories, but it's just so hard sometimes, and I feel so mad that I don't get to have her around anymore. I wish I could say more, but I'm so emotionally drained! It was a toughie, for sure.
And now... now things have quieted down. Some family is leaving already tomorrow morning. This means I'll sleep in, wake up slowly, and then reach out and connect with those that are still hanging out in town. I'm wiped, and I think it's time to cuddle up with a book and then head to sleep.
Goodnight!
Tina stayed at my apartment. I was so stoked to have my first house guest! Andrew and I totally bleached the shower and toilets and vacuumed and had fun grocery shopping. I'm telling you, we're ready to be a regular bed & breakfast now. Tina was the best house guest, ever (and I'm not just saying that because she's my only house guest). She totally let me give her a tour and just generally showed an interest in everything, right down to the bagels. Hurray for her! Next time, I'll make her try Rock Band. Also next time, we won't be so exhausted from socializing so we can go for runs!
Having Julie in town was a hoot, too. I spent a lot of my time with her and Tina, just generally laughing it up and throwing our opinions out about everyone and every thing. Good times.
Uncle Mark and I talked a lot about the Disney World Half Marathon we're running in January. Turns out, in addition to us and my mom, his daughters Dina and Amber are planning on running in it. This'll be too much fun!
Andrew enjoyed meeting people and demonstrating his magic skills. At some point, he even had Jana and Ian practicing the disappearing coin trick. Too cute.
The most difficult part of the weekend was, of course, the memorial itself. We went up to Andrew's parents' land near Fairplay and sang and talked of our memories. I started to get upset about scattering Grandma's ashes. Not that I thought it was a bad idea; I knew it's what she'd wanted. It just is hard to say goodbye, I guess. I felt angry about not having her with us, and I hated thinking about everything she doesn't get to see. I know I'll move past those feelings and be able to enjoy her memories, but it's just so hard sometimes, and I feel so mad that I don't get to have her around anymore. I wish I could say more, but I'm so emotionally drained! It was a toughie, for sure.
And now... now things have quieted down. Some family is leaving already tomorrow morning. This means I'll sleep in, wake up slowly, and then reach out and connect with those that are still hanging out in town. I'm wiped, and I think it's time to cuddle up with a book and then head to sleep.
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