On Christmas Eve, 1944 in the English Channel, with the lights of Cherbourg shining clearly and comforting, the troopship Leopoldville carrying 2,223 troops was torpedoed and subsequently sank, taking 802 souls with her. The story of the sinking of the Leopoldville and the subsequent cover up is told in the book; “A Night Before Christmas” by Jacquin Sanders, but that is not the topic of this blog.
One of the more than 1,400 survivors that cold, tragic night, was a young nineteen-year old, army medic, my dad. My dad was a quiet, unassuming man, who’s caring for others led him to join the Lions Club, the Elks Club, volunteer to become the Scoutmaster for our boy scout troop and later on become the President of the union where he worked. As I grew older and learned more about the war, I would often ask him to tell me about his experience. He told me about a few of the non-combat related things that he did and that was it. It was sometime later that I learned that he was on a ship that sank and that it was not something that he wanted to talk about. That is, until he learned about reunions that his fellow survivors were holding and began to attend them. After attending a couple of them, he began to share his experience of that Christmas Eve night in 1944 when so many of his fellow soldiers were either killed or wounded and the role he played in helping get the over 600 wounded men off the sinking ship and onto others that finally came to assist.
Why am I telling you this story? Well as a male, I grew up being told that big boys don’t cry, men don’t show their emotions, and asking for help (directions) is a sign of weakness. I’m sure that my role model, my dad, grew up hearing the same messages and that is why he kept the anger, the grief, and the memories of that night bottled up inside. It wasn’t until he spent some time with others who had experienced that horrific event, I imagine some of them baring their emotions for the first time, that he was comfortable telling his loved ones what he had gone through. I truly believe that being around others with similar experiences, a mastermind group if you will, had a positive impact on him.
Guys, there are or will be times when the answer isn’t in front of you or isn’t clear. I’m here to tell you that having someone who has experienced that in their lives, someone who can help you identify and break through the paradigms preventing you from finding the answer in your corner, is powerful. As a trained and certified, life coach, I can be that person for you. So, if you are at a point where the next step or steps are unclear, it’s okay to stop and ask directions. Go to our website www.transformationalwellnessservices.com and at the bottom of the home page select schedule a session with Rich. Pick a date and time that works for you and you will be scheduled for one of the complimentary consultations that I offer each month. It doesn’t hurt to ask for help. Heck! Even the Lone Ranger had help.
Namaste!
Rich Schmelke
Rich@T-W-Services.com
941-276-1123