No Vacations in DD/TTWD

365 days a year, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. No vacations. When applied to our busy lifestyles, it is easy to imagine being overrun, burnt out and desperately needing some time to just step back and breathe. While this is definitely true, especially in this day and age, there are some concepts that we must take to the core of our relationships and our lifestyle every single day.   DD/TTWD does test us and it requires daily diligence and effort. That being said, it does not go without notice that sometimes this lifestyle is difficult, sometimes the communication process can test us especially when we are tired. But let's all be honest: There are no vacations in TTWD/DD.                                            Vacation brings to mind  sun-drenched days filled with love, laughter, romance and pleasure. While It is true that we MUST refresh and renew our relationships in the face of the day to day grind of life, We must also remember our responsibilities to each other, and our relationships. DD/TTWD by design requires consistency, and with consistency comes peace, ease of mind, and clarity.  The effort required in complete dedication to communication, and role maintenance is no small feat however and this must be acknowledged. June works very hard to be mindful of our relationship and her role in it, I also try to remember my role as the head of our home. I must recognize June's efforts in not only our relationship, but the many contributions she adds to my life and the lives of our children. I know that in addition to maintaining our roles and recognition that I must relieve stress and ensure that she is rested and better able to handle the stress that comes with being a wife and mother.                                                   Now comes the dreaded M-word... that's right folks, I'm talking about maintenance.  While maintenance might be a very passionate or heated subject for some... We really feel that there are  numerous and valuable benefits that bolster our relationship, bring us closer and help keep us both mindful of the importance of our roles in a relationship. Maintenance isn't just one thing... For us, sometimes maintenance is going to bed  early holding hands and just talking... Sometimes maintenance is having the boys stay with friends and just spending a romantic evening snuggling and watching movies on the couch. Yes, maintenance, can and often does include one or more elements of spanking and discipline.  As unsurprising as it may be to hear from us, we have found that sometimes nothing smooths the edges, bridges the gaps, and gets rid of stress quite like a thoughtful spanking experience.                                                                                                                       As mentioned above,  sometimes a  vacation, or stay-cation  from the stress of life can be a happy, healthy time of rediscovery, strengthened bonds, and refreshment of spirit. As great as this is, it also stands to reason that for very practical reasons, that a two week trip  to a tropical beach may not be practical, but with a little experimentation, the judicious hiring of babysitters and a little imagination we can very easily  create a relaxing, fun atmosphere that is custom made for the purposes of bonding, role reinforcement and the mutual enjoyment of each other, ourselves and our relationship.

                                                                  

Her POV:

For me, I think I would be completely unbalanced if Ward was inconsistent. I need to be able to depend on him. Even when that means we enter a disciplinary or correction-type situation. There is security in knowing that whether we are in our living room, at the local Walmart, or park, or on vacation, that he will continue to hold us to the high standard we have for our relationship.

Busyness is not an excuse for discounting each other. Nor is stress. We strive to always be mindful that we depend on each other, always We can always count on the other to remind us of that, and to hold the other accountable if we forget the things that are important to us.

And the "M" word, yeah, June is a freak, I find comfort in that, too. Both in the consistency, and the fact that we have a mechanism when things start to swing, and I feel a bit unhinged, that brings us together, stripped down, and honest with each other. I value our life, the security, the closeness, the honesty, sometimes the rawness. Do we do maintenance on vacation? Yup. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Healthy Tears and Emotional Expression

                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                     

 Crying is a natural and healthy part of life.  I must admit that like many men from my particular demographic, I was taught, and even conditioned not to display much in the way of emotion.  Emotional expression can manifest itself in a variety of ways and it is to the benefit of any relationship to not only observe and recognize these expressions of emotion, but to nurture and respond to them in an appropriate manner. Many emotions can take many different and even varied forms that might change from day to day, hour to hour and even minute to minute. The best thing we can do sometimes is really quite simple.... listen and be there for your lover. 

                                                           

Happiness is more than a smile, sometimes happiness is the contented sigh that comes from a hot meal and a full cup at the end of a long cold day. Sometimes happiness is cuddling up on a couch watching a favorite movie and sharing a bowl of popcorn. Happiness is not always soft or quiet. Sometimes happiness is tackling each other to the ground, belly laughing and  tumbling head over feet in a riotous, raucous expression of warmth and mutual delight. Sometimes happiness goes deeper, and when we accomplish something major, or we see those we love elevated, sometimes happiness means soft, sweet tears that express an inner triumph or is the culmination of a challenge met and overcome. 

                                                                                                              

                                                                                                           

Anger is a word that inspires intensity of both word and deed. Anger is not always negative, and indeed sometimes a bit of healthy anger is the catalyst to communication, true change and the betterment of the processes that make a couple effective, engaged and in love. Anger can also be destructive, irrational, and very much like emotional napalm. I've often described anger to June as a lot like "fear with more enthusiasm" and if one is not careful, it is very possible to cause or open up deep emotional wounds that are very difficult to resolve in a timely, healthy fashion. Tears of rage  are often an expression of deep frustration, pain and loss

                                                

Fear as said above, is a lot like toned down anger.  Like a wall that separates, fear can halt progress, and create distance if it is allowed to exist and lay in your partner's mind.  This is where being an HoH is especially significant. Soothing a partner's heart and knocking down those walls can be a process that takes quite a bit of time and effort, but in so doing we reveal the depth of our love and we express our own confidence and affection at a time when they need to see that most.  Fear is a tricky one, folks and it is our opinion that  fear should be dealt with early and not allowed to become unmanageable due to inactivity.

 We now see that tears come for many reasons and in many forms. Tears can be a beautiful outward expression of relief  or they can be anger, fear, hostility and pent up frustration that demand attention and in some instances not just words but action. We all know that actions speak louder than words, and sometimes in the midst of tension there is no greater comfort than knowing without a shadow of a doubt that our partners remain, thoughtful, cognizant and engaged even when things are chaotic, even when things are not easy or simple or fun. 

   

Many people have asked or wondered what the true impact of tears is in a TTWD/DD/spanking oriented relationship. My response is that, as an HoH even during the rare times that it was necessary for June to receive correction I never set my hands to task with the mindset that tears were desired or required. The intention was to improve the communication, right the ship, and correct poor behaviors. That being said, if I saw tears, I didn't necessarily stop either. Sometimes tears during a spanking tell us that a point is being made and that the lesson is in fact being learned.

                                                    

   

Through it all, I've learned that I CAN and MUST express my emotions in order to be effective. I've also learned that by being attentive to my lady's emotional needs, that a new level of love can be obtained and that both people in any kind of relationship must learn to recognize and respond to emotional output and prepared to do the labor of love that is managing and supporting their partner in all emotional expressions!

Her POV:

Tears for me have always been something to hide. When I was a child to show vulnerability/sadness/pain  was to encourage more abuse, it was a sport. As I grew, with partners, my tears were met with disgust, and again as a sign of weakness to be exploited.

With Ward, my tears are gently accepted as expressions of my heart. When I apologize for being weak, he gently shushes me, and gives me the freedom to purge. When he sees me trying to choke them down, he extends his arms and tells me to let it go. He has never run from my fears, my frustration, my weariness. For that I am so very grateful.

When Daddy must correct me, I rarely cry during. What he gives to me is what I have earned, it is what must come not as retribution, but to clean my heart - I hate having disappointed him, and I need the purge - but for our relationship, so that we can move forward clean with no stamps collected. I do cry after, heartily, in his arms. These are not tears of pain or fear, they come from feeling all the love and forgiveness that he gifts to me; feeling loved and accepted totally and unconditionally by a very good man.

Sometimes during discipline there are tears. These come from the delicious feeling of being held firmly and loving in his hands. They are tears of gratitude for having my truest self accepted and treasured and our love and devotion reinforced in this way. There are tears sometimes when we make love, when the overwhelmingly wonderful feeling of being loved and treasured. There are tears when I cook and I feel my blessings all around me. There are tears in the most mundane of things, that speak of who I am and who he is and what we have and the family we make for our children.

Every one of those he catches in his hands, and holds to the light so that I can see the beauty in them, when I might feel shame. He shows me that they are the gift of my vulnerability, of my truest self to him.

Insecurity and Self-Confidence

 Everyone has insecurities. From an early age we are taught to believe that we must attain the unobtainable, that we have to stay in the lines and have to be blond-haired, blue-eyed and perfect husbands and wives in order to see our true worth.  Society at large, the media, and even contemporary music and television shows depict the common person as lacking. Day in and day out we are bombarded with not so subtle messages and reminders that we'll never make enough money, that we're not attractive enough, not young enough, just plain not good enough. June and I had an interesting conversation the other day and I realized that fostering a healthy self-image and a positive self-mindset are going to be a lifelong endeavor that demands my finest vigilance and most selfless motivations.We know what sometimes causes insecurity, So why then are we still susceptible to it?  Why is it so easy to lift others up and yet doubt our own veracity? In my own case, I guess I've always feared never measuring up to what June desires and deserves in a man, I fear that I won't be a good enough father and that the kids truly deserve better.  June reassures me every day that I do a better than descent job, and when I see them smile, or watch them playing or check on them when they are sleeping, it gives me a confidence that bolsters me. Confidence is a beautiful thing and it is easy to take delight in it's design in our lives.  I have been told that confidence in a man is sexy.  June does indeed thrive when I take charge, not only in our relationship but in and around our home as well. Her confidence me furthers this, but I always try to remember that there is being confident and take charge, and there is being arrogant and dismissive, I try very hard not to be the latter. Observing these benefits, I face my fears with the intent on improving not just myself, but improving my leadership overall and leading by example. June does display beautiful confidence at fleeting moments, and that is what I seek to nourish. Her poise, her skill, and her intelligence are a delight to behold and they serve only to highlight the beauty that shines both inside and out.  June is a remarkable homemaker, a brilliant chef,and an outstanding mother add to that her intellect and it's no surprise as to how I fell deeply in love with her.  As I have told her, "So what you aren't bottle blond and 115lbs, you are beautiful, vibrant, and have a brightness that could not be duplicated. You have a real woman's body, a body designed for nourishment, nurturing and comfort. You have a few grey hairs to speak to your experience and wisdom and I LOVE it and would not change a thing... anyway, this gentleman doesn't prefer blondes."  She laughed and said it was good, and even if she thinks I'm crazy she knows my love for her is real.                                                            Self-confidence begins with understanding that we have our partner's back and that no matter what, they have our deepest and truest love. From there I would encourage you all to take a moment to reflect on what is positive in your world and about yourself.  Take delight in your individuality, marvel at your uniqueness and understand that there is beauty in the honest soft beauty in the display of soft openness and the acceptance of one's strength, appeal and beauty... especially when it is hard to see ourselves.  Despite the selfishness of others, even people we grew up with, shared a home with, or were once intimate with... No sometimes we must dig deeper and see not only our worth, but how our self-perception affects our partners. I'm sure that I am not the only HoH who takes issue and will vigorously correct self-degradation and unhealthy, sef-directed language that only hurts and adds to a layer of negativity.  June knows that I take no pleasure in the act of  correction. It is a painful thing for us both, but I also understand that sometimes, like the truth, the growth process can sting a little.

                                         

The funny thing about fear is, that it's very often not rational.  I realize that this does not make fear impotent, but often times fear is unjustified, and dealing with fear often requires the influence of love and patience. I would encourage the HoH's, the husbands and the leaders of homes to reach out, reassure, and display the earmarks of true love, great and unconditional.   If it took a hundred thousand forevers I would show her that she is beautiful every day and that is the kind of wholesome earth that happy, healthy thoughts thrive in.

The same is true of you. Walk tall, communicate and be confident in your family's confidence in you. Lead from the front and be a living, breathing example of  self-confidence and healthy male energy. It won't always be so simple or easy, but it will always speak to simple, solid leadership.. it all starts with love!

                                                                         

                                                      

Her POV:

Is my fear rational? No. Do I know that? Yes, Can I stop it? No. It's there, deep seated in the back of my mind. I have been taught from the earliest that I was unworthy. There was a fundamental lack trust building that should occur in babies (more psychology stuff), it changes the brain chemistry. It changes perceptions, and 'gut-reactions'.

Do I believe he loves me? Yes. Do I trust him? With my live and the lives of my children - our children now. Do I trust his veracity when he says he will never leave - I''mm 'stuck' with him? No, I know he will not leave. What do I fear? Not being worth it. I have never been worth it. What happens if when all the struggles are over he wonders what in the world he fought so hard for? What if some mystical thing changes and the inner darkness comes out and permeates our lives?

I have no answers. I wish I did. I wish I could gain the confidence. I hate sometimes that I am so needy. I worry that he will weary of that. When I am in his arms I feel that, I feel that confidence, that ....sense that I am ok. Then I so much as walk to the bathroom, and can be smiling and feeling full of him, and glance up at the mirror and the smile fades and I wonder just what he sees that I do not. And how long it will be enough.

I try, I do. I want to be better. It's hard. He'd have to tell you, sometimes I feel that I hold onto it a bit longer. My therapist and I talked about it not long ago. She said it may never go away, that I may have had my brain permanently altered. But she see's very positive results since Daddy - yes she knows exactly what kind of relationship we have, and she still thinks he's good for me :) I work, I try. I love him. That's all I can do.

What June's Submission Means to Ward.

                                                  

 June's submission is the sweet ambrosia that allows me to ascend beyond the limits and constraints of mere-mortal manhood.  Submission is her gift to me and in so offering, I must ascend, I must respect, I must develop into the man that is worthy of her love, support and submission.  I take and/or make time every day to not only acknowledge the gift of her submission, but to develop, nurture and strengthen it and our dynamic.

                                                            

I have told June many times that she is a natural submissive... She would probably say that she is just herself and that it is my dominance that has such an affect on  her. She honors me with her words and even if she was just being herself, she brings me so much more than I have ever had or could dare dream of.  In my previous relationships, I often felt marginalized,  ignored, disrespected, unimportant.  Indeed at times it felt like I was struggling to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders.  It saddens me that I cannot take the time that I lost and give it back to June... but I also realize that without  the life experiences I have, I could not be the man that I am and I never would have met my one true soul mate... and that would truly be a tragedy.  We have discussed the impact that communication has on a healthy relationship and at times that communication does in fact extend beyond words.

                                           

Submission isn't always easy but it's impact is immediate and undeniable. One of the things that I really must do is give June credit where it is due. I know that I am not always the easiest person to deal with. I have high expectations for our  communication, our family and, of course, us as a couple.  Even when I am not at my best, even when it is difficult, June responds with grace and love and even when  I haven't handled something particularly well, she takes that extra second, breathes and allows her submission to bloom out ahead of what may have been in the front of her mind. This effort, seemingly small  is often the difference between cool heads and  a misunderstanding and, June my love, again I salute you, I know that I am not always easy or pleasant.

Submission also comes in the form of the love and care that she provides. Many times before thought formed in my head, June was there with a glass of water or I've come home to find my favorite meal hot and on the table. In many ways it is so much more than taking care of me or our home... She is taking care of us and the bond that we hold dear.  Knowing these things, and observing them with clear mind and proud eyes... I strive and am forced to become a better, more attentive man... She deserves no less and in truth, our relationship cannot be allowed to stagnate. Effort every day, even when it isn't easy drives growth and reciprocity.

                                                         

Submission

- Feeds our dynamic and provokes communication, thought, growth and effort
- Feeds my Dominance and draws it out
- Allows us to feel our HoH and TiH rolls evenly and fully
- Guides and guards our hearts and minds and keeps them focused on growth, communication, stability and reciprocity
- Ignites our love life and  and fuels our passion for each other

                                                             

 Her grace even under pressure charmed me from the first and her thirst for my dominance allowed for the easy and delightful expression of our physical passion. She presents, she offers herself fully and unwaveringly even when it hurts, even when it is a test, she recognizes the value of intensity and gifts me with the sweetness of her body and the warmth of her mind. We are big advocates of  a lifestyle enriched by communication, reciprocity, dominance, submission and  above all love. So what does it mean to me? It means that I have been given the opportunity to love harder, to cherish, to respect, to teach, to guide and to grow into the man that June deserves.  Her submission is a key component in our developing not a good relationship....but a great one! 

We encourage each and every one  to discover what submission means to you and how it can further your relationship goals, bring you closer and awaken a passion that is uniquely and truly yours!

                                                            

         

Her POV:

Let's see if June can type through tears..... I am really just me. I don't try to be or do anything. I do respond to his Dominance. It's almost tangible. I spent most of my life feeling lost, adrift. I gave and was minimalized. My resources, my heart and soul were drained. I felt that I had nothing left to give, and certainly wouldn't be worth receiving, because it had no worth to anyone at full capacity. Here I was, hollow, depleted... I had given up.

Ward came into my life, and I was amazed that he wanted me. And I am amazed still. He sees me... he sees straight into my soul, and he loves me still. He looks at all that jumble in there and he shows me that I am worthy. He accepts my need to serve. He proclaims me beautiful in service. He allows me to feel his Dominance cover me like an umbrella on a storm-tossed day, or a blanket, warm, soft, comforting, and protective.
 
Again here, which came first, the chicken or the egg? I don't think it matters. It just matters that we feed each other, fulfill each other, consume each other and grow better and stronger, and more entwined with every interaction.

Bottoms up! (Presentation)

                                                        
  I know it's hardly a shocking topic on a spanking blog, but I'd like to talk about the female bottom for a few minutes and how something seemingly obvious can have a great if not so subtle impact in our DD/TTWD lives and our romantic imaginations.

    

                                                           

 Again, I suppose I won't win any awards for originality, and I probably won't shock anyone here, but to put it mildly, I've always had a "thing" for the female derriere.  The bare female bottom is one of nature's many works of art and in appreciating it's obvious beauty there is much to be gained and gleaned from it's care and treatment. The female derriere is round, soft, and perfectly suited for the tasks that it is designed for.  Sitting, standing, and even walking.   The glutes are a very strong and resilient muscle group that make life as we all know it possible and better.  Besides it's obvious utility, the bottom is a visual indicator of health, vitality, fertility and femininity. 

                                

 

More important than merely just being an object to be squeezed, swatted, belted, smacked, squeezed or caressed.  In baring and exposing the bottom for correction or discipline, squeezing and rubbing after vigorous attention, or just affectionately cupping and caressing it, we are expressing love, affection and gratitude to the wonderful person we call ours. Our expressions of gratitude speak to the unique bond that we create as couples.  These intimate expressions are obviously a two edged sword that requires many many layers of honing, maintenance, and dedication.  From the dominant side of things, witnessing this dedication, this devotion, this submission in an active display is a marvelous gift that can enhance DD/TTWD, and maximize the benefits that we gain from this important time that we share. 

                                                    


The presentation of a tantalizing tush to one's dominant half is I'm sure a trepidatious thing. The fact is, ladies, many of you have been flim-flammed, hoodwinked, hornswaggled, and/or bamboozled by the media. As a man I know that you may have body image issues.  Magazines bombard with false promises, television  and movies deride true femininity and confuse healthy masculine energy with aggression, immaturity, ignorance, and haplessness.  Presentation can mean wearing his  favorite pair of panties,  approaching him for an expression of his dominance,  voluntarily positioning yourself  in a way that highlights your submission and places you at his full exposure.  I realize these things can be humbling (not humiliating) and that as with anything worth doing, that this may well take some time and effort, but the presentation of the body in a warm, willing way that hungers for the energy of loving partner in honest and true effort to feed the relationship, and stoke the fires of strength/submission  and love.

                                                         

                                                                                    

Spanking just so happens to lend itself to all of the things discussed above. We know that there are of course the "spank-nos" out there and would understand their position, but even they can perhaps see more than a grain of worth in understanding personalized submission, dominance, and the gifts that they can bring to any healthy relationship. Bottom bared and presented for loving attention (discipline, correction, or even fun) can add a beautiful layer to even just the everyday things.  Meaningful glances exchanged in public, quite intimate conversations at the booth at your favorite restaurant... Sometimes the most beautiful gifts are the ones we have to slow down to fully appreciate! Intimacy, laughter, and a deep personal bond that goes beyond something physical is one of those things. We would have you  present each other with the gifts that go along with DD/TTWD, dominance, submission and love... we think you will find that it is well worth the time and effort!

                                                               

Her POV:

The very idea of presenting was something that embarrassed me to the core before Ward. I found something fearful and perhaps a little ....debasing in it.  As our relationship deepened, I found it less and less objectionable. And as we deepened further I found it to be a tangible symbol that I could give to him. When I kneel before him, chest down and bottom up, it says that I belong to him, that he can do anything he wishes to me because I trust him, that I surrender my fears and insecurities to him, that I surrender my heart, mind, body and soul to him.

I enjoy feeling soft and small and surrendered. When I place myself in that position before him it tells him all these truths without a word. Better than words, it speaks to him, I am yours and I am ready for whatever attentions you would choose to gift me. For me now, and in the context of my relationship with Ward, it is a beautiful physical representation of the reciprocity of our natures and commitment to each other.

What is Discipline?

In a post a while back Blue Bird asked what was discipline to us. I haven't forgotten, I promised  to expand on it in a future post. It just took some time to get here :)



We've outlined the kinds of spankings we employ, but I guess never really went into lots of depth about them. So I guess I need to describe how Ward administers each, a little. In the event that I have broken one of our rules Ward will administer a correction spanking. Correction is given hard and fast, with a greater level of intensity for longer periods of time. He will pause and lecture, so that I can hear what he is saying. He will tell me he is proud of me for taking my correction like a good girl. It is correction, but the message that it comes from a place of love is very clear. During the pauses he will rub my bottom in the pauses, but there will be no sexual touch. There will be no sexual intimacy immediately after, but we do cuddle and snuggle and talk to affirm forgiveness and the clean slate, and then sometimes nap. It is all emotional reconnection.





I don't think I have to tell anyone the purpose of a good girl/pleasure spanking. This is given slowly, luxuriously. Every spanking starts and ends with discipline, but in a GG, it's not quite as vigorous,  nor is it quite as long, and as soon as Daddy breaks out the Angel Maker, it's almost forgotten....okay, the owww, is almost forgotten. but not the message. I am his. I belong to him. My pain and my pleasure belong to him. Even in the vigorous part, Daddy talks sweetly, and say the things that make even the most intense of sensations bearable. There are lots of pauses, for rubs, sensual touch, intimate touch and other attentions (ahem).





Discipline, that's kind of our catch all. It generally means that one of us needs to feel my submission, or his Dominance, I'm toeing the line of breaking a rule and he is reigning me in before I cross it, one of us is stressed beyond belief, I'm premenstrual (okay, I hate to admit that, but hey, we're all being honest here), and again quite frankly, perhaps because one of us has a deeply visceral, primal need for intensity. I guess you could say that for us discipline is a no-reason-necessary balancer.






Discipline is much more intense than a good girl. It does not preclude the use of my GG toys, they will just be used much more vigorously. The stretches between touch are longer, but the touches are a definite and delicious claiming. There will be very sensual connections made during and after the spanking. Sometimes the spanking will be paused for love-making, and then resume. The entire message of this is that he owns me, and that I belong to him in every sense of the word.



Even though discipline for us might appear as severe as correction to some others, it is something that is necessary in our dynamic to allow me to be who I am, and allow him to be who he is, allow us both to blossom and grow in the depth of our devotion to one another. It is something that connects us at a very deep level.





 HIS POV: 

Discipline for us is a very nourishing and sensuous experience that puts an emphasis on my dominance, her submission and the unified dynamic that we share. At the heart of it all is love, regardless of when or why June is over my knee, love is the chiefest and greatest reason for spanking and the many motivations that we use it for.

Pleasure, correction, affirmation, nourishment and understanding are all worthy and excellent reasons to share spanking with the ones we love.  DD/TTWD, love, affection are all beautiful and vital to our process!

Our One Year Blogiversary! March 1

One whole year, good golly, Miss Molly! It's amazing to still be here after a year. I never thought I had so much to say. And I sure never thought it was anything worth hearing. I am so grateful to this community and to all the wonderful friends that we have made here. I am thankful for all the kind words and support when Ward was deployed. And the prayers while we wait out this career planning process. I'm grateful for the fellowship when I have hit spots in my submissive life where I felt like I was struggling.

Blogging has been an invaluable tool. There is never anything that we have gone through that we have not worked out together first. What we share here is only part of our story. But sometimes, even after things have been resolved between us, we come to a greater understanding of each other, ourselves and our relationship when we puzzle it out here. It gives us more ways to grow together.

We appreciate that everyone in the community is so generous in sharing their thoughts, feelings and struggles. It gives us talking points, and maybe helps us identify sticking points - me in my own submission, and Ward in understanding me. (I don't  think he really has many sticking points as an HoH. He is wise, strong and confident.... but perhaps it helps him as well).

We have a blurb on top of the comment field, it says "Thank you for being part of our chosen family".

We mean that the most sincere manner. When I see my sisters struggling, or dealing with grief, I wish the physical world was as close as this virtual one, and that I could open the door and just sit with you. When I see one of my sisters saying things so uncharacteristic of her, I long to bake a coffee cake and trudge over with it and a pot of tea. When one of my sisters, and sometimes our big brothers, share their wisdom, or something important they gleaned from their own journey, I sit enthralled and honored at the generosity and the beauty of spirit in our family.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all, for opening your hearts and your hands, for giving Ward and I a place at the table, a family that understands our journey, and some of the very best friends I have ever been privileged to know.

HIS POV: 

It has been a true pleasure getting to know each and every one of you. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your support, prayers advice and inspiration to June whilst I was deployed. Blogging has opened my eyes, given me insight, and given me the tools to be a better father, husband, a better man for my family, and for that I again say thank you.

The sense of community, the need for a male voice, and the desire to offer genuine help, valuable ideas, and a friendly ear to listen has been nothing short of invaluable in  my motivation to gain a deeper understanding of DD/TTWD, be a better husband, and in general share a voice with those that would have ears to listen. Thank you all for being who you are and for giving us wonderful friends and family in the truest sense.  Thank you all again and we look forward to the year to come and sharing more with you all!