8 JaxAir NeWS, NAS Jacksonville, Thursday, January 12, 2006 Hope an ever present need By Chaplain (Lt.) Troy Todd NAS Jax Chapel At the end of World War II, an American sub came back to Newport News, Va., to dock. As it came into port, something terrible went wrong mechanically and it began to sink in the harbor. Without haste an emergency message was sent to the Coast Guard. Lives were at risk as the sub slowly sank. Dispatched divers Oove down to the hull of the sub- marine to find out what went wrong. While the divers swam around the hull they heard a dis- tinct noise. A desperate and inventive Sailor was tapping on the hull from the inside using Morse code to ask, "Is there hope?" Is there hope? The essence of having and maintaining hope is a vital tool of life. Hope is an essen- tial part of life. Hope is a key ingredient that motivates us, inflates our lives, and renews our outlook as we contemplate a new year. This is the time of year when a lot of people talk about the new year and setting new year's reso- lutions. But what about hope, how does it play into our future as we steadily advance through this new year? Is there hope for your dreams to come true, goals to be reached, relationships to be strengthened, and other pertinent key mile- stones yet to be reached? Some people have suf- fered a loss that has impacted I. their vision of :.;"-'t hope. Is there hope? A' This is a ques- , tion that many people are ask- ' ing around the world as they attempt recov- - ery from losses ' due to diverse F environmental ,< events and deli- .. , cate situations , of life. Trying to Chaplain (I find hope can be understood as a person or family going through such losses as financial, relational, emotional, health, and physical loss of a fam- ily Tnember. Military chaplains often hear the following questions Is life worth living? Can I count on anything in life? Will life ever get any better than this? Is there hope? Desperate people are often searching for a solid measure of hope to grasp, to anchor their life upon; one that will sustain them through the present moment and on into the future. Is there hope? As I contemplate the new year, I realize that hope is the catalyst for a lot of who I am and what I ( plan to accom- plish. I choose to believe that hope keeps' me 41 alive. When I get up each morning I have : hope and hope S guides me through the S day. Without --, hope, I feel that life will lose its S ,, flavor. In order to cope with life I .) Troy Todd need hope. With hope, I can press forward. With hope I can learn to adjust my sail and work through the storms of life. With hope always before me, I can keep gazing towards those safe harbors that help to protect me from the storms of life and nurtures my inner spirit. Is there hope? Concerning the thought of having hope in one's life, Pope John XXIII said it best, "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." CHAPLAIN'S CORNER Sailors, civilians invited to 'Family Day at The Cummer' From Staff he Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens is hosting a Family Day at the Cummer Sunday from 12 5 p.m. Sailors, Department of Defense civilians, contractors and retirees are invited to bring the entire family and enjoy a day of art, gardens, education and fun. The free admission event will be filled with live music, special art making activ- ities, scavenger hunts and more. This fun-filled event includes experi- encing The Thomas H. Jacobsen Gallery of American Art in a fun and interactive way. The museum is located at 829 Riverside Avenue in Jacksonville. For more information, call 356-6857. Protect family with uninsured motorist coverage From the Media Masters Group With 14,116 car crashes in Duval County last year, a serious car wreck could lead to financial disaster if you don't have enough uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. "Many car accident vic- tims who walk into our office don't have enough UM Insurance to cover their medical bills and lost wages due to a serious car wreck that wasn't their fault," said consumer advo- cate and attorney Tom Edwards. "That's why I'm urging consumers to make getting UM coverage a top New Year's resolution for protecting their families." Drivers often skimp on UM coverage to slash their car insurance premiums. :Unfortunately, some learn the price they pay too late, after an underinsured or uninsured driver perma- nently injures them in a EVADER ST -, Electdc-5 7999 '^Nitro- s259" HOBBY WORLD 8 175 Blanding Blvd O.P. 272-6315 S 7273 103rd St.772-9022 crash. UM coverage pays your medical bills, disabili- ty claims and economic losses such as lost wages if another driver is at fault and does not have enough liability coverage on his own policy to compensate you. That's when your poli- cy's UM coverage kicks in. Surprisingly, UM cover- age is not required by the state of Florida. The only requirements are PIP, known as personal injury protection, which pays $10,000 in medical expens- es regardless of who is at fault and property damage liability for $10,000 if you damage someone else's property. "Often drivers say they are 'fully covered'; that means nothing. Being 'fully covered' under Florida law means you have bare bones 'coverage: PIP to cover med- ical expenses and property damage coverage-that's it. These basic coverages do not protect you if you're involved in a serious colli- sion with catastrophic injuries. We have clients who require life-long med- Avenues Mall General & Children's Dentistry 363-3366 Bryan T. Marshall, DDS, PA Lic. #DN1184 Orange Park Wells Rd. General Dentistry Specialty & Children's Dentistry 269-7004 269-9299 = VSA &I Hf Ingle retires By Lt. Cmdr. Dave odicka . VR-58 Safety Officer V R-58 Selected Re- servist SK1 Joyce Ingle retired from the United States Navy in December after 23 years of service. Ingle spent the majority of her naval career assigned to the VR-58 "Sunseekers" and most recently served as the com- mand safety petty officer. after 23 years of As a transport safety spe- cialist, flight attendant instructor and loadmaster :i.\ . instructor, Ingle amassed i;4-: more than 16,000 mishap- k free flight hours in both the C-9A/B Skytrain II and C- 40A Clipper aircraft during war and peacetime opera- tions. Her flight hour total ex- I emplifies her dedication, professionalism and total commitment to safety and the nation. SK1 * Payments as low as $69 a month * NO money down * We accept Tri Care Dental Program Enrollees * State-of-the-art facilities * Convenient locations Bartram Park 260-7700 Mandarin/Julington Creek 483-3027 Orange Park 644-0140 FlemingIsland location coming soon! 2 service Joyce Ingle See INSURANCE, Page 10 rf Jacksonville'slEnclosure Source I Payment Plans To Fit Any Budgetl No quiy Requlredl S100 Financing Available (wIh approved credill i INC. 5521 Chronicle Court Jacksonmille, FL 32256 t 731-5580 I|t- i nor' o CRCO28471 Seioa Miitr IMAGINE ORTHODONTICS CALL 1-800-U-IMAGINE www.imagineorthodontics.com Advertised Monthly Fee applies to military insurance only. Advertised Fee is subject to credit approval. See credit offer for details. The advertised fee is the minimum fee charged. The advertised discounted fee is 10% less than the usual and customary fees. Fees may vary according to case difficulty. Record and Retainer Fees may apply. THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAY- MENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT. #D0150, #D8080, #D8680. Ri" lS, *J,. I Bi108118 Make your resolution to Smile more for just $69 per month! The Dentist Place And... The Dentist Place f(o Ks The Dentist Place is Moving! Just East of the Orange Park Mall on Wells Road General Dentistry, Periodontics, Orthodontics and Oral Surgery all under one roof! We are participating providers with UNITED CONCORDIA DELTA DENTAL We welcome patients from most other insurances LITTLE OR No OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE FOR MILITARY FAMILIES (Excluding co-pays and deductibles) Evening- a n i rrp nv a .a Apointe nts Avalable B~P -, --------- 1-~-CC1111~4~ss~---- CPI ;t The capacity for hope is an essential part of our lives. It gives us a purpose, a sense of destina- tion, and the motivation to get up and get on with life. With hope, we expect tomorrow shall bring a better day; it keeps us inching forward through pain and despair. Why? Because hope is like a bird that senses dawn and carefully starts to sing while it is still dark." (Author unknown). Is there hope? Feeling the pres-. sures of a need to change the social climate and at the same time stand as an influential voice, a leader for change, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke to the issue, Is there hope? "We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope," he said. Hope does not dissolve when times get hard, it does not dissi- pate when the storms of life blow in upon us; hope always goes before us, beckoning us, calling us, to step on through the situation until we get to the other side. Is there hope? The waters of life might be difficult to pass through, the mountains of life might be strenuous to climb, the valleys of life might be difficult to manage and yet hope is calling us to keep on moving forward. Hope can always guide us, hope is just on the other side, it is that bril- liant beacon shining through that helps us to move on-through those difficult moments in life. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about an infinite hope which is an unlimited hope, eter- nal hope, ongoing hope, ever ready hope, continual hope, ever present hope, and a hope that is always right on time. Where can we find this type of hope? Our infinite hope comes from the Lord. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 - NIV). God is our ever-present help in times of need; God is for us and not against us. With the Lord by our side, we can move through diverse climates of life, we can find a new zest to arise each morning; we can have a new inner peace that sustains our well-being. Someone once said, "I don't know what tomorrow may hold, but I do know who holds tomorrow [the Lord]." With the Lord by our side we can. move from hopelessness to abundant hopefulness as we gain a new pep in our talk and a new bounce in our walk. With the .Lord by-our side we can now answer the question Is there hope? Yes, Lord, yes! Always Remember: "Never deprive someone of hope; it might be all they have." H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Respond with your thoughts, con- cerns and prayer requests to: troy.todd@navy.mil or. call 542- 0563/3051.