My Genius SIL

In the early Spring, my military son-in-law started a business. He will be out of the Navy in a year or so, and is preparing for life on the "outside". That means a new source of income. In his free time, he designed an I-pad app for public speaking, called Podium Pro. He entered a contest for new business start-ups in our area, called Hatch. Hatch gathered the energies of successful business people to coach the most promising new business ideas. My SIL placed second among 73 finalists. He was awarded office space to work in for the summer, along with several other finalists. He also got housing for his Coder--that's the person who actually writes the program in computer binary language.

Customer FeedbackVideo TutorialBlog – Give Better Talks- Sneak Peek of Podium Cue- Follow us on Twitter- FacebookPodiumPro LitePodiumPro Full VersionBehind The Scenes

breaking news: My SIL got written up today at Techcrunch.com...so proud of him:
click here to read

Below, you can see the work space and one of the teams furiously at work. I love all the writing on the the glass. Lots of brainstorming going on here.

 

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These guys created a phone tracking program. They made a zombie tag game, but the program has a lot of real-life military, police, and social work potential.  

The door of this team's office.
Zombies, werewolfs, vampires...I just don't get it. Not quite the right demographic, I guess.

This is my SIL's coder, Paul, who is from Mumbai, India. He's one smart man. 

Here is my SIL's back, with his logo t-shirt sporting a microphone. The other guys across from him have developed an app for sharing music-making. It takes the place of a studio.

My SIL very seriously engrossed in preparing his presentation for that night. Podium Pro replaces powerpoint, evernote, and all other methods of note-keeping for public speaking. You can put your whole message on your Ipad, including your slides and videos, and it splits the screen to show what your audience sees, and keeps the speaker's notes coordinated. It also gives a preview of what is coming next in the talk, and timer to stay within the allotted time slot. It also allows you to record yourself speaking, and allows your audience to twitter you as you speak to respond directly to their questions. It's a ground-breaking tool. 

Later in the evening, they met with the area business leaders to give their presentation. 

The room filled up with an expectant audience of coaches and supporters, who had something to eat before the presentations began.

We were in the audience too. Notice my husband on the chair, and Sean behind him. 

The recording crew. 

Here they are: the Podium Pro guys. Nice logo. 

Here they are with the founder of Hatch, and the Hatch logo on the screen. 

Sean's fan club, daughter, wife and FIL. 

Okay, that's all the pictures I took. Once the presentations started, I put my camera away. I will say my SIL did a phenomenal job describing his new app. If you are interested in more information, click here: Podium Pro.
I am just intrigued by the opportunities that exist for the energetic and disciplined innovator. It's a whole new world, and I am proud of my SIL for finding his place in it. 

Fallen Heroes Memorial Ride

Today is the one year anniversary of the loss of 31 troops in a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan last August. There were Navy Seals on board, plus support crew, and even a military-trained dog, and all lost their lives  as their helo was shot down by Taliban. It was the single largest loss of troops since the war began after 9/11.

And heartbreaking.

This one was particularly personal. These were my kids' friends.

On Saturday, I attended a memorial motorcycle ride to honor the fallen heroes of August 6, 2011. There were at least a thousand motorcycles that took part in the 23 mile, police-escorted ride to the oceanfront. I didn't ride, but my husband and daughter did.  I just loved being part of the crowd.

Daughter and Daddy.

At least half the thrill of an event like this is seeing who else shows up.

I will share some of my favorite shirts and vests. They each tell a story.

The Patriot Guard are the people you see on CNN who ride in military funerals to protect the bereaved families from extremists and pseudo-religious protesters. 

I expected to see the soldiers who lost their friends, and the widows and the children of the fallen and people like me. I didn't expect to see so many different ages, races, creeds, and motorcycles in one place! It was awesome! There were at least a thousand motorcycles there. Let your Harley roar!

There were a number of Christian motorcycle clubs. Not your typical Sunday pew sitters.

The Vision Riders. Loved it.

This one is a flag with all the  names of the fallen written on the stripes. 

This guy is a veteran of other memorial rides. 

This one specifically honors Kevin Houston, one of the fallen. The Navy Seal motto is "Long Live the Brotherhood", the words on the shirt.

Here a veteran proudly displays his service to his country.

This one specifically honors the SEALs who gave their lives. Absolute heroes.  

This was one of my favorites. Such colorful embroidery. The words say, "Never forgotten"

This gal was a vet, and  though most of the women rode on back of bikes, there was a good crowd of cute biker chicks who rode their own bikes. 

This was another favorite.  A Jewish motorcycle club called 'Guns and Moses"! 

The fallen were honored by two members of the Boston Police Department Bagpipe Column. They were dressed in full regalia to play their bagpipes for the exit of the  entire stream of riders. The Navy SEALs have forged a bond with first responders in NYC and in Boston. They have shared the burden of the losses of 9/11. These guys were pretty cool.

They played the entire time as the two mile long motorcycle caravan left. There are few things as stirring as listening to "Amazing Grace" on bagpipes. The 31 flags in the ground next to them represent the fallen. 

The Navy color guard lined the exit of the shopping center. Before the ride began, they were washing naval officers'cars in the parking lot. Making good use of their time. 

My daughter JoAnne and her friend Julie rode side by side the whole 23 miles.
Both of their husbands lost dear friends last year. 

JoAnne rode with her dad. Look at the long line of motorcycles behind them. The police blocked every intersection for 23 miles so they could pass through. My husband loved being able to run the red lights with impunity for the first time in his life. 

One of the last to leave, this patriotic woman was part of the color guard. She has the names of each of the fallen Navy SEALs attached to her vest. 

Along with many others who have given all. 

Joe and JoAnne head out for the ride, with their buddies by their sides. It was such a memorable day, being there, watching the crowd. I was part of a grateful nation paying homage.

The proceeds from the event will help these families as they forge a new life without their beloved and heroic husbands and fathers. 

"Long Live the Brotherhood"

Patriotic Family Dinner

We're a proud military family. My daughters and their husbands have made tremendous sacrifices since 9/11. My grandchildren have had to live without benefit of a father at home for many months at a time, for many years. Before my girls married these two wonderful men, none of us had a clue what they were getting themselves into. But there are no regrets. They love their country and are proud to serve. But yesterday it felt a little more worth the sacrifice.


Papa sat on the lawn at sunset and talked with the grandchildren. They were so young when 9/11 happened. Aidan wasn't even born till two months after. But they knew yesterday was significant, and that their family has played an important role in this chapter of  American history. Our game last night was actually questions about America. Questions such as, "Do you know all the words to the Star-spangled Banner? (not too well) And who wrote it?" (yes!) and "Who were the top three best presidents?" (Washington, Lincoln, and Bush). Stuff like that.


Our dinner table last night. Yeah, we're truly grateful for the red, white and blue. We are a blessed country.


Fruit salad in a watermelon bowl.


Chicken pot pie casserole with a lattice crust, per Aidan's request.

It was a good evening to pause and reflect on the journey they have all been on.

On Saturday night, we went to dinner to celebrate Sean and JoAnne's 17th wedding anniversary.

On the way home in the car, I asked Sean, "Do you think we will ever capture Bin Laden?"
Only God knew what would transpire 24 hours later.

A military marriage...17 years...an amazing achievement. Too many separations, too many readjustments for deployments and re-entries, too many bedtimes without a father to tuck you in, too many birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries alone. That's just part of why they deserve so much gratitude from us all.


We are really proud of our children. They are true American Heroes.

 Isaiah 6:8

 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

   And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Gold Star Mother

Gold Star Mothers are moms who make the ultimate sacrifice for their country...they are those precious mothers who have lost a son or daughter during active military duty. I say "the ultimate sacrifice", because I don't believe there is a mother alive who would not rather die than lose a beloved child.

The picture of the plaque is taken from the Gold Star Mothers memorial in Florida.

We have a Gold Star mother living in our former home in Southern California, the same home where we raised our son, Joey. This week is the anniversary of her son's death. The house is a shrine to her beautiful son, and we found it deeply moving as we walked up to the porch to pay our respects.

Above is her son's weathered Marine cap hanging on a flag staff.

This is the Gold Star that was hanging on the window as we stepped inside the door. It reads:
Always In Our hearts
LCpl Anthony Melia
Our Guardian Angel

This is Vicki, our beautiful Gold Star Mom. She reluctantly allowed me to photograph her. Don't let the smile fool you. All bereaved moms have learned to put on that brave face. She is still very much grieving the loss of her precious boy, and I know how deep that pain runs. It is a coincidence that the picture is red, white, and blue, but I think so very fitting for this tender, precious mom who honored her son's desire to become a Marine, knowing the personal risk involved.

Around her neck are Anthony's dog tags and one with his picture. She said this picture oddly fell off the chain the day her beautiful 21 year old son died, though it never has before or since.

Vicki is a testimony to the sustaining power of a deep faith in God. She has learned in the past four years to entrust her son to God's care, and herself to His guidance. Her life is so changed now and she sees the world through different eyes. Her greatest desire is to serve. Her greatest joy was being able to go to Haiti after the earthquake, to hold and feed starving traumatized babies.
She said it gave her a taste of her son's war experience, as she lived in tents, without plumbing or showers, with meager food, and sleepless nights. It was an essential connecting point with him. She fell in love with those little children and hopes to go again.

This is the sign in front of the house.
Freedom Isn't Free
Our Unforgotten Hero
L Cpl. Anthony Melia
January 27, 2007

Inside their home, Anthony's honors and memorabilia are every where. In the corner, his boots and helmet. In the trophy case, his precious ashes.
Anthony is a true American Hero.
Thank you for giving all, Anthony and Vicki and Melia Family.
We honor the pain and suffering of your sacrifice.

On the walls, beautiful, beloved Anthony. Bereaved families are very similar, I think, military or not. Pictures of our cherished child are everywhere. Those who put their hope in Christ, like this heartbroken family and our family, are counting down the moments as we await the day of resurrection and reunion.
We worship a Savior who knows about the pain and suffering and sacrifice.

In the driveway, another memorial on their vehicle. You can't seem to get enough of these memorial places when you've lost a child.
It says to me, "Please don't forget our beautiful son who gave his life for your freedom."
And we won't.

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.