An American Soldier's Awakening: Anthology of Poetry and Prose

By LTC Nina R. Petrarca USA Ret.

Never could I have envisioned the siege of emotions to overcome me as my military career came to a halt. I was faced with a psychological war that had become my badge of honor over the years. Standard military tactics had no place at this juncture, and I was well outside my comfort zone. As a woman warrior, my life to date existed outside the norms of conventional thinking, and I was embarking upon unfamiliar territory. I always found comfort in working with my military colleagues in taking on the mission at hand; in fact, it had become second nature. In retirement, I no longer had a foothold in preserving our US Constitution or protecting our republic from enemies, foreign or domestic. I could not fathom the perplexities of this new journey.

My faith in God had always been my armor for strength and courage, so why would it be different now? This time, the enemy resided within me, and I had no escape route. I was alone with my thoughts and had no place to go. Through self-reflection, it became apparent that the most effective way to move through this quagmire was to remain close to my faith and acknowledge my feelings in a deliberate and meaningful way. I have always been analytical by nature, and at a young age, I discovered the arts can offer calm when experiencing feelings of despair. Over time, I discovered writing slowed down my racing thoughts and put me back in control of my well-being. As my introspective reasoning became manageable, prose evolved to poetry, my darkness began to shed light, and healing would learn to reside within me.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885400404

Book preview

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An American Soldier's Awakening

Anthology of Poetry and Prose

LTC Nina R. Petrarca, USA, Ret.

ISBN 979-8-88540-039-8 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88685-521-0 (hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-88540-040-4 (digital)

Copyright © 2022 by LTC Nina R. Petrarca, USA, Ret.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

A Personal Message

Chapter 1

When life steals from your soul, silence the mind and go for a brisk swim.

Marching Forward into Military Retirement

My Path

The Spiritual Journey

The Lord, the Sea, and Me

Soulful Flight

The Offering

Temperance

Revered Truth

Chapter 2

Humor has an uncanny way of salvaging us from the wreckage of the unconscionable.

Kindred Spirits

Still Beauty

Samantha's Songbird

Meadows

Fireflies

Tree of Life

Chapter 3

Courage is shielded faith worn by all warriors of God.

Unsheltered Waters

Reveille

Invisible Scars

Deep Sorrow

Whisper Not

Still Tears

Chapter 4

Bravery and resiliency bind our states to our nation's cloth, a quilting of a finely sewn tapestry wore to comfort in war and peace alike.

Civil Unrest

Woeful Plea

Insufferable Entanglement

Love and Loss

Forgiveness

Chapter 5

Stars are God's reminder that hope can be found in the twinkling of lights.

Memory Past

For Reasons Be

Hidden Jewel

Cool Diggings

Chapter 6

Loving someone until it hurts to breathe is a gift in itself.

Soft Tidings

Divine Guidance

Autumn's Trance

Nature's Grace

Christmas Eve

Rekindled Longings

Mindful Thoughts

About the Author

I dedicate this book to