Writing

I never did like to write when I was a child.  Yes, I did write the occasional poem, which was the extent of my pleasure writing, but other than that, forget it.  I did not like to write.  I would get assignments in school like everyone else to write reports, ie, book reports, reports for English class, reports for History class, etc...and I would write them, grudgingly. I seem to receive high Bs and mostly As on my reports, but I still hated to write.

After turning 51, I started a project called "The Dabby Project" with a friend of my daughter's, Ryan Dexter Wallace.  He set me on this path I am now on.  Being prior active duty Marine, (Once a Marine always a Marine), he saw the doll I crocheted and suggested that I do something with her.  After several emails and private messages, we decided to have her travel to the military children. The one prerequisite is that their service member parent must be on orders and away from home for more than thirty days; in fact, the original rule was that they were to be deployed.  With deployment winding down, it was changed to being away on orders for more than thirty days.

The first host child was Rhiannon in Kentucky. She had Dabby for the month of January of 2012.  It is hard to believe it has been two years since she had the doll.

What has Dabby been up to since that first adventure?  She has been to CT, KY, GA, MD, CA, WA, NC, and have other places she will be going.  She has also been to the U.K. with her cousins.

Since the beginning, Dabby has added new friends and family.  She has her brother, Bubby and their puppy, Patriot. She recently got a baby sister, Sissy.  There is also PJ, Keiki, RosaLeigh, Antonio and Ayrianna.  There will be one more new doll soon.  They have gone and helped children all over the country to deal with the anxiety and loneliness that comes from having their service member parent away from home.

Also, Dabby went international with the opening of The Dabby Project U.K.  She is there with her cousins, Wills and Meg, helping the children of the Royal military deal with the same problems.

It is my belief, that no matter the country, no matter the belief whether political or religious, military children are alike. They deal with moving from place to place and with having one parent that goes away from home for a long period of time just to come home and be a parent again.  It is tough.  New home, new schools, getting use to a parent being away, getting use to the parent being home just to have to go away again.  The feelings are the same.

Follow Dabby and her family and friends on her facebook pages.  www.facebook.com/thedabbyproject and www.facebook.com/thedabbyprojectuk  See what these dolls are up to.