Wednesday, April 02, 2025

Celebrating Hamako and Alicia Bridgewater

I'm sorry I didn't get this posted on Monday, the last day of Women's History Month, which celebrates all women for their contributions to history and society.

This week, I am celebrating my Wife, Hamako, and My Daughter, Alicia, who have made a tremendous personal impact and have enriched my life tremendously. 

 This October, I will have been married to Hamako for 41 years. We are both retired now, and I can honestly say we are living comfortably due to her financial acumen and willingness to kick my behind when I do stupid things, which still happens, as I am a kid at heart. As a child and young adult, I emulated Dennis the Menace regularly. Once I married her, I realised my actions would also affect her, so I quickly got out of that mode. She is relatively quiet but can give me, Alicia, or Chris a look that makes us feel we are about to die when we act up.

She loves working on the various community service projects we have done over the years, and I can honestly say she is probably the hardest-working volunteer I know. She does not like standing around and will jump wherever they need her. She is amazingly creative and an award-winning seamstress. Hell, she made her own wedding dress. 

I am who I am today because of her, and I also know that I am the boss of the family, but I have her permission to say so.

This picture is my favorite of her. It was when we rode to Death Valley on our Trike.

Her Wedding Dress

Alicia is my firstborn child. She is a very strong-willed young woman who is unafraid to tell her family and friends how she feels. Her discussions on life and how we should treat others have significantly impacted how I see things now. Sometimes, it's too easy for a man to see things through his perspective and think that is how the world turns, but listening and arguing with her over the years has changed my thinking. If you want an honest, unfiltered answer, Alicia is one to go to.  When I wanted to know if I was the A$$ in some conversation, I would talk to her, and she would give it to me very unfiltered. I respect her opinion, even though I may not agree at times. However, afterwards, I think about what she conveyed, and more often than not, I find that she had a lot of valid points.  

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Celebrating Jordan Berman and Jasmine Crockett

This month is Women's History Month, which celebrates all women for their contributions to history and society.

This week, I am celebrating two ladies trying to impact our lives positively despite the current madness. 

Jordan Berman is a lawyer on social media who emphasizes Unbiased Politics. She educates her followers on various topics with an unbiased approach. Do I like everything she says? No, but I have a lot of trust that she is not trying to misguide people. What I loved about following her is that she tells you that you may not like what you see, as it won't fit the narrative you are looking for. 

I have found her postings enlightening and straightforward, which anyone can understand. In my personal opinion, she stands out because she does not try to put her spin on things; she tries to educate people so we can think critically about current topics without all the spin that legacy Media does.  

YouTube Channel: (1) Unbiased Politics with Jordan Berman - YouTube

Instagram: Instagram

U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett from Texas's 30th Congressional District. You will not like this straightforward and strong lady if you lean right. She is very open about her dislike of our current administration, and she is fighting for her constituency and the US as a whole. She shows a lot of courage standing up for everyday Americans. She can be rather blunt and has been known to be a little crude in language, but passions bring that out sometimes in the heat of the moment.  What I love about her is her being very direct in her approach. There is no sugar coating or being passive about letting you know her thoughts. You will not have to guess where she is coming from. She has American values at heart and will not let them be violated.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

Celebrating Sandra Thompson

This month is also Women's History Month, which celebrates all women for their contributions to history and society.

This week, I celebrate the best supervisor I have ever worked for, TSgt Sandra Thompson, at Kadena AB, Japan(Okinawa).  In my two careers with the Air Force and UPS, I would have to say TSgt Thompson was the supervisor who had the most significant impact on my life. When I met her I was a new supervisor and still growing into the position. I appreciated her mentorship, candid feedback, and holding me accountable for caring for the people and myself. My favorite feedback, which I still use, is about Conflict.  Her words were, "Both parties play a part in any conflict. You have to evaluate yourself to see how you can not be the trigger for other person and use emotional intelligence to adjust when you notice when you are triggered".  As an introvert, I do regular internal review cycles to gauge my social interactions and have found that whenever I react in the heat of emotion, I will say or do things that I will regret.  

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of her.

Monday, March 17, 2025

Celebrating Opportunity Village

This month is National Development Disabilities Awareness Month, which was established in the US to increase awareness and understanding of issues affecting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

This week I am celebrating Opportunity Village. Since 1954, Opportunity Village has been dedicated to helping people with disabilities find the very best version of themselves. Through workforce development, community employment, day services, inclusive housing, arts and social recreation, they are able to find new friends, realize future career paths, seek independence and community integration, and unleash creative passions. 

During my community outreach activities with UPS, I worked on several of their events, HalloVeen and Magical Forest, and represented UPS when we provided a $5,000 grant from the UPS Foundation. During our tour of their facility, I was amazed at how many people they support through their programs.  They have many volunteer activities that help them raise much-needed funds to support their efforts and build a sense of community for the volunteers.

About - Opportunity Village - Disability Services & Support Organization

Monday, March 10, 2025

Celebrating Shelly Miller

This month is also Women's History Month, which celebrates all women for their contributions to history and society.

I celebrate Shelly Miller, an American Cancer Society Voice of Hope and a 29-year cancer survivor.  She has been on the American Cancer Society Relay For Life Cancer National Volunteer team for several years now and has been on several Event Leadership Teams throughout the years. Five years ago, I joined the local Las Vegas Event Leadership team, and she mentored me on what was expected for logistics as I had never worked any of the events beyond being a participant even thought she had a another function within the team.  Through her tutelage, I have been fortunate to have co-chaired the event with her(I really was her assistant, smile) 

Every time I hear her speak at one of our events, I get a little misty(I am sure it was allergies) because she speaks with so much passion and heart.  Below are two pictures of her after leaving the hospital and at Last year's Relay.