The purpose of this blog is to collect memories of Shannon Smith Blackburn. It will be open to anyone who wishes to share thoughts and memories of her with her family. If you would like to make a blog post, I can authorize anyone with a gmail account to do so. If you don't have one and would like to share, you can add a comment at the bottom of any post on the blog. Also, you can email your post to me and I can put it up myself, but that will take a little longer.
Thank you for your memories,
Celeste Smith
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It's been hard for me to even think of how to talk about my time with Shannon, the wounds are still too fresh. She had to be both mother and father to Zachy from early in his life. She had three children, but got to share raising them with their fathers for only a short time. Almost the first words out of my mouth to her were, "you know Caleb is in the National Guard". She wasn't looking forward to a separation, but thought she'd have most of a year, not two weeks, before he might be called. At that time, everyone thought we'd be out of Iraq in six months, and out of Afghanistan in a couple of years. She bore her duty as a soldier's wife with fidelity and patience. It never occurred to her to do anything else. She never stop trying to go back to school, even when she was pregnant and needed gall bladder surgery. She was smart and feisty, and yet amazingly forgiving. If fact, Shannon was something of a genius at loving people, warts and all, and forgiving others for the inevitable frictions of life, and some serious differences. She loved her children, and essentially gave her life to bring them into this world. She never would have imagined herself taking any other course but to have them and to love them. She had to constantly fight for medical care that was advantages to them and her. I was glad we were able to help her when Caleb was in Iraq, I'm only sorry I was so far away when she needed me, and could only visit sporadically to help out. I treated her like one of my own daughters, which did not always go over well, but her gift for forgiveness, meant she always understood I was just trying to help. She let me buy her pretty things, shoes with sparkles on them, and pretty skirts (she didn't like dresses much). I really enjoyed that. I think we will all be surprised at the honor she has in the eternal realm as a mother in Israel, who sacrificed to fulfill the first commandment. She did the very best she know to do, and I hope that can in the future be said of me. JoAnn Blackburn
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