The Gift I want the Most

Yesterday Fred had a meeting in Wausau, and he came home with my belated Mother's Day present. It is a wooden lighthouse lawn decoration that has a solar top so it will light up at night. Very cool! He had told me on Mother's Day that he knew what he wanted to get me, but hadn't been able to get there to buy it in time. No problem--as far as I'm concerned, it can be my birthday present, too.
Yesterday I wrote again about turning 50 in September--think it's on my mind a little bit?! Today I want to address my friends and family about birthday gifts. The past few years I have been asking you for gift cards or postage money to help me send packages to the troops. I REALLY don't need anything for myself! I am lucky enough to have everything I need, but these men and women who are on the front lines often DO NOT!
Some of them are losing weight because they are on missions all day and literally do not get a chance to eat. They need snacks they can carry with them--protein bars, beef jerky, nuts, dried fruit, etc. Some live in the mountains of Afghanistan and cook over open fires! There is no PX to pick up hygiene items that we all take for granted. Can you imagine being somewhere that you can't take a shower for days? (Ok, girls, the Amberg Hilton--but at least we have the river!) Or you run out of toothpaste and that's it?! It makes me so mad that their needs aren't provided for when they are doing so much for this country. Supporting them with these basics is the least we can do. It also helps their morale to know they haven't been forgotten.
So please, if you plan to get me a birthday present, let it be something I can use for the troops. Gift cards and postage money are appreciated, but you can also give me items to send like snack foods or hygiene supplies; twin-sized sheets, magazines, board games, all-occasion greeting cards that they can send to their families, DVDs or CDs that you don't want any more--items like that don't have to be new!
You can check the anysoldier.com website under the "What to Send" section for more suggestions. Or better yet....read some troop posts and get ideas from them. You will probably be so touched by some of them that you'll want to send a box of stuff yourself. And that would be the best birthday present I could get.