Saturday Morning Message: Thankful for TAPS

Good Morning,

Because it is Thanksgiving weekend, this Saturday Morning Message features a list of resources TAPS provides that I am thankful for as a survivor. Since a list of all the programs would make this message too long, I've only included some of the programs, but you can learn about all TAPS programs at http://www.taps.org.

The picture today is from the TAPS website showing a survivor participating in one of the events at a Seminar. Although we haven't announced the 2017 schedule at this time, visit the TAPS Events Calendar to see the list whenever you would like. Seminars, Good Grief Camps and Retreats are special places that offer the opportunity to connect with other survivors in person. You may want to make plans to attend the 23rd Annual TAPS National Military Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp scheduled May 26 - May 29 in Arlington, Virginia. This Seminar is special as it happens over Memorial Day weekend, so there are many events planned in the D.C. area to which TAPS survivors can attend in addition to the workshops and support groups inside the hotel.

Connecting with others in your local area can be very comforting. TAPS has started Care Groups in several different states. When you go to the TAPS website, you can find the Care Group locations provided by TAPS as well as a list of other resources near you. 

Exercise can be very helpful for survivors. If you want to focus on your overall health and wellness, check out our new Inner Warrior program. Inner Warrior events for 2017 will be announced soon. If you like to run or walk, look at Team TAPS. This program was started by two survivors, Marie Campbell and Lori Hunter. The story of how these two women began the runs and a list of the upcoming events can be found at www.teamtaps.org. 

The Online Community connects survivors throughout the year right from their own living rooms. There are a variety of Yahoo email groups as well as chats. Some are for specific survivor groups and others are for all survivors. Survivors need to be signed in before they can access the Online Community. To do that, go to the top right of the TAPS website and click on "Online Community" to sign up or log in. This year, new video chats are also available in addition to the text chats. You can always find a list of upcoming chats at the end of the Saturday Morning Message. 

Another interesting program is teams4taps. This is a way survivors can attend the favorite sports event of their fallen loved one. There are a wide variety of sporting events for survivors. To see pictures of these events and to learn more, go to www.taps.org/teams4taps.

The TAPS Resource Library includes many other programs and services for which we are thankful. I hope this special edition of the Saturday Morning Message is helpful to you. We are thankful for all the ways TAPS provides comfort and care to our TAPS family. 

THANK YOU TAPS! 

Hugs,
Carol 

Question for Next Week's Saturday Morning Message 

Next week, the Saturday Morning Message will feature this question: What has made you most thankful on your grief journey?  This question is the same one from last week, and I will publish all responses in the Dec. 3 edition of the message. It could be something in your life or a TAPS program that has made a difference as you walk this path. 

♫  Song for the Week 

My daughter, Bethany, sister of Bryon,  knew there was a section about songs that goes out to survivors each week. She sent me her favorite, which is "I Chase Butterflies" by Alan Pederson.