Little bit of a heavy heart today...

I don't really have a real cause my heavy heart.  Maybe it's because I've just not felt well the last few weeks. I don't know if I have an allergic reaction going on or shingles or what, but whatever IT is has truly taken a toll on me the last few weeks.  I know that tends to make people a bit more emotional than they might be on a new "normal" day, but I sure don't enjoy feeling like I do.
I truly have much to be so thankful and grateful for.  We received a very generous and unexpected donation for Wings for Our Troops this week along with several smaller donations that added up to the first single largest deposit today.  It also appears that my sister in NC made it a mission of hers to beat that so there could be an even bigger deposit to be made any day now.  All these donations (big and small) are soon to be helping many military men and women enjoy a visit home before and after deployments to give them precious memories they will carry through the rest of their lives.  It might be 11 days like we had or it could be more or less, but one thing is for sure, however many days they receive for that leave will be worth it and especially if they were almost robbed of that precious time due to financial reasons.
I was a little knocked down last night when we got home from work in an unexpected way.  I received a letter from First Lady Michelle Obama in response to a letter I wrote her months ago asking for her help (or better yet endorsement) for Wings for Our Troops "in loving memory of CPL Chad S Wade" to have received nothing more than acknowledgement of my letter and basically sorry for your loss and families like Gold Star families and families of Wounded soldiers is why they are getting involved with our military.  There was no commitment or promise to help us out or to learn more about our foundation or anything.  It was frustrating enough to actually kind of tick me off so now I am on an additional mission to make this happen with or without our governments support.  I know we can do this.  I won't rest until it happens.  I guess I was just hoping since "they" were "trying" to get more involved that they would jump on this.  I know they can't support and get involved with everything that comes across their desk (I'm really not that naive), BUT!  Shouldn't our government be paying for these pre and post deployment trips home anyway?  I mean, really?  These are probably some (I won't say the most) of the most underpaid government employees out there?  I know, there are those that will say, yeah, but they volunteered for this "job".  You are correct.  They did volunteer for this "job", but if they didn't volunteer, what kind of life or "job" would you or any of us have?  Trust me, I'm not trying to jump on a soap box with the government or anything political.  I'm just a hurting mom that sees a need and is having nothing but difficulty getting things done.  We thought we could potentially get things kicked off on our own first without having to apply for a 501(C)-3 status with the IRS until we had enough funds collected to be self-sustaining and then get under the umbrella of an already established foundation.  Well, you apparently can't do that unless you have a large enough donation or head start financially.  Well guess what?  Most people who are looking to donate or give an endowment or restricted funds will usually only do so if you are currently in 501(C)-3 status.  So we thought, maybe this is the time to pay the fees and apply for this non-profit status and just move forward.  Well, that seems easy enough, right? Not so much.  I've done many things to even get my hands on the application to even apply and cannot seem to get my hands on one.  I've reached out to attorneys (and nothing), I've made phone calls, written letters, checked with the IRS (and still nothing).  I know, there are some thinking I'm having a pity party.  Well, maybe in a way I am, but more than anything I'm just sharing my heavy heart for a passion that Tebo and I (as well as my family and others) have to help and pay it forward even if it's to get a soldier home for even a short visit with their families in the event this will be the last time they see them or if they need extra love and support when they return home after loosing a brother.  That's what all this is about.  We have so many out there already doing so much to help us out.  We have http://www.facebook.com/pages/Daisy-Elm-Jewelry-and-Rosaries/306554382089 donating 50% of her R.E.D. Friday (Remember Everyone Deployed) jewelry to Wings for Our Troops.  We have http://www.facebook.com/pages/Underground-Vintage-Studio/130539006960117?ref=ts donating proceeds of certain items of hers to Wins for Our Troops.  We also have the band "TAKE IT BACK" http://www.facebook.com/takeitback having a t-shirt created with our logo on the back and their band information on the front to donate the proceeds of those sales to our Wings for Our Troops foundation.  Then you have family and friends donating their time and hard work and money out of their pockets to raise money as well as just random people we know or don't know sending money for our foundation and I couldn't be more grateful for all this.  I can, however, get frustrated with the red tape that we have to go through to just get set up as a non-profit and believe it or not, Pay Pal is giving us the biggest fit and we were always told that's the way to go.  I'm just frustrated and add frustration to an already heavy heart and a heart that I believe will only feel better when we are truly helping others and you have a momma bear on the edge.  I will pull through this heavy day.  I will be fine.  I won't ever be the same (duh), but I will be fine.  I'm blessed beyond measure with the love of my husband, bonus kids (all of them), family, friends, neighbors that will make it forever impossible for us to move (which we are not complaining about), but for today, I'm going to shed a few tears, feel a little sorry for myself (not much), and sit and figure out a way to make this 501(C)-3 thing work as well as our foundation http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wings-for-Our-Troops-in-loving-Memory-of-CPL-Chad-S-Wade/129144670496081 be a huge success.  I guess I just needed to take a little time out of my pity party and share my heavy heart with you today, but even more than that, I want to say (from the very bottom of my heart) THANK YOU for all who are believing in this cause with us.  We do love each and every one of you (even if we don't know you yet).