Out on the West Coast, Freedom Alliance took over the Hot Spot for a night and invited a few friends. Female service members and military wives from 29 Palms Marine Base and Balboa Park Naval Hospital met us at the San Diego Hot Spot—a candle and pottery studio—for drinks and nibbles and painting.
It was a mostly young crowd, but the girls, who had specifically requested this outing, straightaway became absorbed in the creative process. Ashley crafted a princess for her daughter, Amy a soup bowl for work, Paula a polka-dotted mug, and so on.
But there was more than just art being formed…
Keisha, a spouse from 29 Palms, happened to be in town, traveling all the way from her desert digs with her children to visit her husband who is at a PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) clinic across the way from Hot Spot. She connected comfortably during the activity with another military spouse, Morgan, whose husband is enduring similar circumstances.
This pair got intimate with Samantha, an Army soldier who is also suffering from PTSD and depression, an unfortunately prevalent condition in our service members coming out of combat situations. Samantha was one of a few soldiers we hosted that night.
Freedom Alliance events are always upbeat and fun, but it seems that when the women get together, the surface chitchat doesn’t cut it. Relationships go deeper and emotions run transparent. That’s what makes it so worthwhile to arrange these types of gathering for them.
In fact, the girls are currently planning the next get-together with Freedom Alliance to bond the women of Balboa and 29 Palms. We look forward to it as much as they do.
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