Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dad, Samuel Morales

My dad was born and raised in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 I have to put the flag here (you know how proud Puerto Ricans are of the flag!). He signed up for the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and did two tours in Vietnam. He was in the Marine Corps for twenty years and retired as a Gunnery sergeant (GySgt). I was born on a military base in Twentynine Palms, CA, the oldest of three girls, and we lived on a few military bases while I was growing up.

My dad has been retired from his second career, his second career also in protecting the community. That’s what I know to be true about my dad, serving and protecting his family, community and country.

My dad went through boot camp only speaking Spanish. He was not bilingual then but successfully completed bootcamp and was a US Marine through and through.

I wanted to write this post to let you in a little bit to see a family man, a hero in so many ways, front and center.

He and my mom (who was born and raised in Uruapan, Michoacán in Mexico 🇲🇽 -there’s another flag for you because I have to represent both!) met in Oceanside while my dad was stationed at Camp Pendleton & the rest is history.

There’s lots of life that happened between then and now, but I have to tell you that as a daughter, I am so proud. So proud of all the things my dad has accomplished in his life and instilling a love for this country 🇺🇸 (and that’s another flag we love in our home) and sacrifice, service and the freedom he fought for.

I spoke with my Dad on Friday night, and we did some online shopping for some new baseball caps for him as birthday gifts. The ones he chose said “USMC Vietnam Veteran” and they had to be camo, of course!

So to my dad, this proud daughter says, “Happy birthday, Dad! Thank you for loving all of us and giving us a life we could be proud of! 🙌🏽🇵🇷🇲🇽🇺🇸 God bless you, Dad!“

With all my heart, Sonia

Group Settings

This is the blog post message tonight, Representative Scalise’s speech today as he returns to congress. Please watch the whole thing to hear the miracles that took place in his group setting the day when he was shot and then hear the miracle in this group setting as he delivers a powerful message about our Almighty God, the power of prayer and the unmatchable power of love.

As I reflect on this speech it gives me hope in how we, as a group of people committed to serving one another and empowered by the Holy Spirit, can help others in need in Mexico, Puerto Rico and places still in desperate need in the states. Together we can and that’s the power of group settings when the focus is on the greater good for humanity.

Psalm 62:8

Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.

 

With all my heart,

Sonia

 

We Remember

This is one of those days when you think back to exactly where you were when you got the news that the unthinkable had happened. I remember walking my daughter Gabbie to her first day of third grade at a new school. We were walking through the parking lot and I’d briefly heard something on the radio. As I and other parents made our way to the school entrance I remember the light of day felt different and confusion and disbelief were plastered on faces that had already heard the news. I didn’t get the whole story from the news about what had happened because it was a short drive to the school but as I dropped my daughter off and got back in the car I heard more reports. I worked at a bank at the time and there was talk of closing it because we were not sure if our headquarters, a downtown high rise building would be closed because no one knew if there were more attacks lined up. That day at work I lived on the edge of my seat. People came in and withdrew all their money in cash, some made large transfers, others got into their safe deposit boxes and in between helping customers we all watched the news.  It was a day unlike any other. That evening as I washed dishes I heard some more news reports and they were talking about the people who were jumping out of the remaining parts of the towers. I sobbed. I couldn’t believe this. What was happening to this world? Everything felt uncertain and unsafe. Do I even take my daughter to school or go to work the next day? I did go to work, and she did go to school and we kept on. In the days that followed more and more stories of acts of heroism and the unity of the American people began to rise out of the ashes. For every flash on tv of the towers being hit there was a story of someone running up a stairwell to help when everyone was running out or something equally heroic.

So today as I go to work and remember the day that shook our nation to its core I remember the innocent lives lost, the fallen heroes and the amazing resiliency God has built into us as a nation and as a people. We will not fear. We will not shrink back. We will live in the freedom that God has called us to.

9/11/01, I will never forget.

With all my heart,

Sonia