Reflections of a Jiujiteiro: giving thanks

Seasons greetings – no doubt the the most prevalent theme which will take us into the new year. Having the opportunity to spend the holidays with loved ones is more therapeutic than we can imagine, and I’m grateful to have been able to spend Thanksgiving with my wife and children this year. Trust me, when you’re wearing a uniform of any sorts, it’s never a guarantee.

Dear George: Remember, no man is a failure who has friends. Thanks for the wings! Love Clarence” ~Clarence Odbody, It’s a Wonderful Life

The cover photo was taken during the El Paso, Texas 2019 Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was cold, raining, and I was providing photo support for our unit members participating in the parade. Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention I had my two toddlers right there with me facing the brave as Papi put in work. No, I’m mot a sadist, Mama Bear was on assignment in Missouri at the time and was in mid-air while Team Clas was covering the beat.

Claudia, originally not being able to come home for the holidays, was able to get her schedule cleared last minute and in turn executed Battle Drill Home for the Holidays. She arrived home just as we pulled up from our mission and because I was thinking ahead buy purchasing our Thanksgiving Day spread the day prior, we had an amazing family dinner. As I reflect on all the stress Claudia and I faced to make it work last year, I have to to think back to a worse time in 2018 when I was deployed to South Korea throughout the holidays missing out on time with my family. Just because this is the life we service member sign up for, doesn’t make it any less painful to be away from the ones we love during the hallmark moments.

Inspiration

There’s a strong sense of happiness and joy in the air after all the prep-work is complete and you’re about to take that first bite of your meal. You look around the table, see the smiling faces of the ones you love, and take solace in the fact there is no place you’d rather be. That is the mark of success and definition of happiness in my eyes. Togetherness, forming a bond between your family members and friends is perhaps the hardest feat to achieve in this day and digital age.

John Wooden coached basketball at UCLA for a living, but his calling was to impact people, and with all those national championships, guess what he was found doing in the middle of the week? Going into the cupboard, grabbing a broom and sweeping his own gym floor. You want to make an impact? Find your broom. Every day of your life, you find your broom. You grow your influence that way. That way, you’re attracting people so that you can impact them.” Dr. Rick Rigsby

https://www.leaders.blog/go-find-your-broom/#:~:text=Every%20day%20of%20your%20life,that%20you%20can%20impact%20them.

The Clas Clan did not wish the day away because of COVID-19, and got an early start on prep and working toward culinary excellence. Each member of the team put in their contribution to get our feast and activities where they needed to be.

Claudia brined our turkey for a couple of days and picked up all the fixings with our pint-sized buddy-team. Our daughter, Brianna, was responsible for the corn, while our son, Dominic, was responsible for the Mac n’ Cheese. Yours truly, was responsible for cleaning and picking up the last minute odds and ends to defeat Murphy, the law that plagues every execution of a great plan. At the end of it all, we had an amazing dinner and put Thanksgiving 2020 in the books.

Follow-on Mission

It would be amazing to not share another holiday with a global pandemic, but alas without a vaccine and herd immunity that’s not a realistic expectation. However, I would often self-proclaim that I would never complain where I was at, as long as I was there with my family. Claudia and I now have the unique opportunity to spend the Christmas season in Europe with our children. And even though there a lot of travel will likely be restricted when you look at the world through a child’s eyes, you will find the same innocence and wonder you experienced those many years ago at their age.

As we look to the new year we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how grateful we are to have so many amazing people in our lives. From our family and friends back home in Chicago, to our teammates here in Germany and the Borderland – Chuco Strong! Happy holidays and best wishes to all of you… one team, one family!