AWTR Show #858: Birdie’s Bargain

Katherine Paterson had this vision years ago of a little girl standing in the middle of the road with a T-shirt that says “I heart Jesus” on and she is bawling as she watches a car go down the street and turn the corner. Sometimes books come to you as an image like that. And that was how the book Birdie’s Bargain started.

Katherine believes it’s her job to write the book as well and honestly as she can and then it’s the readers privilege to take from the book whatever s/he would like to or needs. Readers are truly the ones that bring the books to life. It’s the author’s willingness to dive deep into their own heart that invites the reader to reach into their heart to make a truly meaningful connection.

Birdie has questions for God. For starters, why couldn’t God roll history back to September 10, 2001, and fix things—so the next day was an ordinary sunny day and not the devastating lead-in to two wars? Daddy has already been to Iraq twice. Now he’s going again, and Birdie is sure he’ll die. At the very least, she won’t see him again for a year, and everything will not be OK. (Why do grown-ups lie?)

Katherine Paterson is a two-time winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award, has written more than thirty books, including Bridge to Terabithia and My Brigadista Year. A recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, she lives in Montpelier, Vermont.

Listeners, if you would like to see more of what Katherine is up to, check out her website here or connect with her on social media via Facebook. Don’t forget to get a copy of Birdie’s Bargain here.

Today, five lucky listeners will get a chance to win a free copy of Birdie’s Bargain! Simply like, comment, and share this podcast to be entered for a chance to win.

Resource Recon with Kayla and Amanda K.

This week’s featured blog is titled, “Emotional Labor of Being a Military Spouse” by Anna Larson:

A few years ago, I read an article about emotional labor. The author described her experience of asking for one simple gift for Mother’s Day. She wanted someone to deep clean her home. Her husband waited until the last minute, then decided it was too expensive. In addition, he couldn’t find a cleaning service for the day he wanted, so instead, he “cleaned” the bathrooms leaving her to watch their children destroy the rest of the house.

He thought he gave her the gift she wanted.

Emotional labor was originally coined for responsibilities in the workplace but has morphed into other meanings, including the toll of daily tasks and responsibilities placed on the primary caregiver or one who handles the domestic activities. These tasks are undervalued or unrecognized as carrying much importance, but if overlooked can cause ripples of chaos and disorganization in our lives.

Empowerment Patrol Report with Amanda B.

Today we are showcasing Army Wife Network’s Everyday Empowerment recipient, Sharita Knobloch:

Sharita has been married to her beloved infantryman husband Brandon for over 10 years.  The joys and challenges of this milspouse life ignited her faith on a deep level, so she answered the call to ministry in July 2011.  Sharita holds a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University in Animal Science & Industry (Communications Option, Leadership Minor), master’s degree in Christian Leadership from Liberty University and is currently in pursuit of her doctorate in Educational Counseling with an emphasis in Pastoral Counseling, also from Liberty University.

Sharita is a Tiny Human mama of two kiddos, an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year old boy. She is also a smallish-dog-owner, aspiring-runner, writer, speaker, and spiritual leadership coach. Sharita has been volunteering with AWN for more than 7 years, since February 2014, when she published her very first blog post.  Since then, she has served on the Command Team as Blog Editor (Nov. 2015-March 2016), Executive Officer and Deputy Commander (March 2016-Sept. 2019), and in October 2019, transitioned into the role as AWN Owner and Commander. She is overjoyed to serve milspouses and their families in this capacity. In 2020, she was named Armed Forces Insurance Fort Bliss Military Spouse of the Year.

Sharita gets really excited about office supplies and journal shopping. She is a certified auctioneer, wore duct tape to senior prom (for a scholarship contest #DontJudge), loves napping, fitness, reading for fun, and cheering others on as they strive to reach their goals. Sharita overuses hashtags on a regular basis with #NoShame and frequently uses #America! as a verb.

Sharita was nominated by Amanda B. because “she is a truly empowering leader, fellow milspouse, a coach adn supporter, and the best title of all – friend. It’s such a blessing to have Sharita in my life. I am forever grateful for her.”

Thank you so much to Sharita Knobloch for doing your part to empower military families all across the globe.

Health Minute with the Army Surgeon General

November is warrior care month and this month we are focusing on tobacco use prevention. According to the 2018 Health of The Force Report 23% of soldiers reported tobacco use. Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable disease, disability, and death in the United States. The CDC indicates that if the current rate of cigarette smoking among Americans under the age of 18 continues, 5.6 million of those youths will die of a smoking related disease.

News 6 with Jolene

Here are the top news stories from this week:

Department of Defense Seeks Innovations

The Department of Defense has announced a sixth episode of a Shark Tank-style competition for service members to be held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on Dec. 6, 2021. The competition, dubbed Dragon’s Lair, is seeking innovations.

To submit an idea, those interested must “register on the Dragon’s Lair website, provide a description of their innovation, and explain the inefficiency that’s being addressed.” Applications are due Nov. 15, 2021, at noon. Service members whose ideas area accepted for implementation will be awarded an Army Meritorious Service Medal, a four-day pass, and a slot in the U.S. military school of their choice.

Walmart Pharmacy Leaving TRICARE

TRICARE is shuffling its pharmacy program—again. According to Military.com, “Walmart is leaving TRICARE’s pharmacy network … and CVS will return to the TRICARE network.” Beginning Dec. 15, 2021, Walmart and Sam’s Club will no longer serve TRICARE beneficiaries.

IRS Sending Math Error Notices

“The Internal Revenue Service is sending out warning ‘math error’ notices to millions of Americans,” reported WBNS News from Columbus, Ohio. The error is called a CP12 Notice, which is a notification that the IRS corrected one or more mistakes in your tax return. The mistakes could lead to a different refund amount or an overpayment of what you thought was owed. If you don’t agree with the changes, you have 60 days to contact the IRS.

Check out this week’s other top stories here.

Thank You

Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode. Please leave a five-star rating and review on Apple podcasts, then send us a screenshot of your review to info@armywifenetwork.com or DM us on Facebook or Instagram @armywifenetwork to receive a special in-real-life gift as a thank you on behalf of AWN. We appreciate your engagement and support.

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