November 26, 2024 • 34 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Have you seen this traffic out here? People have lost
their mind behind all this Christmas stuff, Han Gord, they
already be down there, just swarm and everything. Good Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Never saw nothing like this before. Mmmm.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Just look at them white folks loading up their kids
in all their mini vans. They know that Thanksgiving just
around the corner. They better make their Christmas plans. Honey.
They go in droves to the stoves just to go
sit on Santa claus Laft with their little artificial Christmas
trees and a little minted.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Sweater they put on their cat. Hurry up, hurry up,
hurry up.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Let's go to the stove.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
What y'all going down there for artificial snow?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
That's ignorant.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Let's go to the mall.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You can't get up in there. Them white people. They're
up in there having a bull. I see them white
folks charging their credit cards out to the max, honey,
just buying out.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Why can't they just chill, you know, relax.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Them white folks be spending money like it grown on trees.
I ain't never sound nothing like itey.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
They need to be down on their knees. Shoot, now,
let me tell you something.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
With my nineteen children, they know they get popped in
the mouth if they start to work in my nerves
when I'm trying to shop at the grocery store shoe.
But them white people, honey, they do not care the
kids tell them what to do. Honey. If that was
my children, I would beat they butt black and blue.
But it ain't nothing too good.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I for know this little Tiffany.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And Louise under the Jeremy or Joshua or Johnny, and
what their name is, Elouise? Why do white people get
them names for their children. I don't understand. It's ignorant.
That's so ignorant. Seem like everything about this time of
year is just ignorant. I just can't take it no more.
(01:57):
You know, honey, You got these white folks charging the
credit cards out to the max, just buy everything inside
when they need to chill and relax. But them white
people spends money like it growed on trees. And I
ain't never sound nothing like it. They need to get
back down on their knees. Oh no, honey, they hurry.
(02:18):
They got to get to that stove, the artifice just
so that's so ignorant. And they little plastic Christmas tree
and they put their little body up on their house,
and reindeers be up on their roof. Just look at them,
white people making a fool out of themselves. White folks
everywhere all over town, minivands.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Good lord, they root off the red blue reindeer self.
That's ignorant. Just wearing my nerves.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I need to make my shopping list anyway. Look, you
tell your mama and them. I asked her to have
a happy Crystal, telling her she needed to call me.
Tell her she better not forgetting my gift either.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I'm not.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I share stories of restauranteurs only when I'm authorized to
do so. I asked Russell Lebara a couple of weeks ago.
I said, Russell, tell me this, and this always comes
off the wrong way. It's like when I still can't
get abody to explain to me why George Strait is
so successful, and think, oh.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
It is exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
You're stupid. What No, I'm curious. Curiosity is good. You
should encourage that. Curious. People who are curious are going
to learn more than you. They're going to end up
better than you. You should be curious. It's okay to
ask a question, even if the answer turns out to
be something that ninety percent of people know. By not
(03:45):
asking the question, you don't look smarter. You learn by
being curious. And what was I just talking about, Romeo? Oh,
I asked Russell. I said, I don't understand how every
single one of your units performs so well and have
(04:06):
performed so well for so long in such a competitive
restaurant environment. And so he gives you these you know, well,
we try hard and we care about our people. Okay,
that's all good. Give me an example and he said, well,
we pay our some in our some of our locations.
(04:27):
Instead of paying our weight staff two dollars and now
we pay him ten dollars. Well, what plus tips? What
you hoie for the evening shift after seven people? I mean,
that's unheard of, right. And he talked about trips, and
he talked about you know, the things they do, and
(04:47):
his kitchen, by the way, he takes great pride in
how clean his kitchen is, and his kitchen managers every
night send him a video. They walk through the kitchen
and they send a video of the kitchen. Now you
might say to yourself, well, what do I care. I mean,
I'm out front, I don't care. That level of attention
to detail results in everything being excellent. You can't be
(05:12):
excellent at just some things. It's a culture of excellence. Well. Sadly,
Southwest Airlines under herb Keller Hair, herb Keller Hair was
a titan, a vision, a pioneer in the industry. But
it ain't herb Keller Hair's airline anymore. I'm sad to say.
And that's a bummer because Southwest Airlines had a special
(05:34):
place in my heart for a very long time. But wow,
you talk about inconveniencing people. Wow, I got an email
on a small business, and I mean really small called
Grazibles gra Ze ab l Ees Artisan created grazing boxes,
(05:58):
boards and tablescapes, and as I understand that the woman had,
like I don't know what, she was operating out of
a food truck or her house or whatever. And she
had just opened a storefront I think in Tomball Magnolia,
And I mean, this is a true bootstrap business, this
kind of thing where if you invite her to your birthday,
(06:19):
she ain't coming because it's twenty four to seven, it's
all day, every day. It is living it when the
mail comes in she's afraid there's a tax notice or
you know, some sort of inspection to do it is
and you know, a sucker for that kind of stuff.
Her name is Amy Martinez and I had Brad Gloria,
our booker tracker down Amy.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yes, sir, all right.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So what were you operating out of before?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
So I right now we're currently in a commercial kitchen
with just a little bitty lobby. We're in an industrial
little business park, and we're building our first brick and
mortar in the historical district.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
In Tomball, Oh where.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So we'll be right on Main Street, right at Oak
Street and Main Street, next to Auto's Emporium.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I didn't know anybody could was building anything in old town,
I mean in the old town Dumbo.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well, I take it with a grain of salt. I
say building, because we're completely renovating the inside of an
old historical building there in the strip.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
What was it?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
It was an old like a kitchen, granite showroom.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
But you'll have a retail space if people want to
pull in and grab some yes, sir.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So we'll have a lobby in the front and then
we'll have our retail space and service counter, and then
the back will be our commercial kitchen.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
How many square feet?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Twenty five hundred? Oh wow?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Okay, and what's the address?
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Four oh six West Main Street.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
How full from Tahas Chocolate.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
One block? Well, we're one block from his Bowl Burger place.
We're on the same side. And then he's right behind us,
about a block and a half away for the big
the barbecue store.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Go over and meet Scott and his wife. If you
haven't already, they have forgotten more about how to be successful.
It was probably the most successful retail business to have
started in the last ten years in Tomball and Texas
Monthly had a lot to do with that, anyway. Hold on.
The website is grazibles dot com.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
The Michael Berry Show.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
The website is grazibles dot com. Amy Martinez is our guest, Amy,
Real quick, what's your story? Where were you born?
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Born here? My parents? I grew up in spring Off
nineteen sixty and I'm the oldest of four girls. And
my dad was Captain Roy Fernandez of Houston Fire Department
EMS for thirty five years. I have an.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Incredible You're Amy Martinez.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I married to Martinez.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You went from the Martine and I was from the
fris to the Martinez.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
And the food stays the whole time.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Michael, I love it. And what does mister Martinez do?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
He he is my children's father. He works for schlumber
Jay and he and I divorced in twenty ten, so
I've been a single mom since then with all four
of my awesome kids. But he's a great person and
wish him well always.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
How long have you done Grazibles?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
I started Grazibles in twenty nineteen. I was working as
an oncology nurse at the time. When yeah, whenever, I
when my husband I split up, I had to do something,
you know, to take care of my kids, and I
was just to stay at home mom. Before that, I
did a little bit of catering on the weekends.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Through my church and just at home mom. I was okay,
I won't, okay, let's do that.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Well, it's a hard job. It's a hard job, and
I do an incredible stay at helme mom. I was
going to stay at home mom very good and volunteered
at my church, had a little catering company.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So how did you decide in twenty nineteen to do
grazubles dot com?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I was treating my patients, and I noticed so many
of my patients didn't bring a lunch, and they would
sit through chemotherapy sessions, which for people who don't know,
sometimes can be eight to twelve sometimes sixteen hour days,
and a lot of them wouldn't have a lunch and
(10:53):
they were by themselves. And so I was thinking, what
can I do to help these people feel seen and
heard and just help their situation. So when I have
little catering jobs on the weekends, I would have, you know,
cheese and fruit and little things left over. So I
started packing up these little snack boxes and I'd bring
them and I would sit and write a little handwritten
(11:15):
note to them every morning when I got to the
clinic and just hand it to them so they would
feel valued and not so alone. And you know, I
loved doing that for people, and I loved being a nurse.
It was an incredible part of my journey. And whenever
we were giving boxes, sometimes people would come and they
would have family members with them and they'd say, oh, well,
(11:38):
how do I get this? I want to send this
to my dad or my mom, or I want to
you know, do you sell these? And so I started
selling them for very cheap, and it just picked up
and grew, and then we started making some for kids
for kids lunches, and we would donate a portion back
to pay off lunch accounts at the school with what
(11:59):
we earned, and it just got picked up by Houston
Life and it was I mean, it was crazy. I
never expected that. And then I had to kind of
make a tough decision, and it was something I prayed
with my kids. You know what do I do. I
love being a nurse, but I love also just loving
on people through this and this is my gift. And
(12:20):
so in twenty nineteen, I made the decision to go
full time with Grazables and saw my last patient in
October of twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Amy, you have been there with people in a phase
of their life that more people in society. Almost everybody's
going to end up there in one way or another,
either a family member or themselves. And we never think
about it. And we go to our doctor and we
got a little lump and they cut it out and
(12:50):
they send it off and we worry, but it's going
to be fine, and then it comes back in the
C word and now we're going to buildings where we
can't figure out to get there and where to park
and what to do, and then you're coming in and
we're nervous. I mean, what a window into a segment
of our lives that we never imagine we're going to
(13:13):
be in, And here we are. Amy. I don't know
how to ask this for you to I don't normally
talk about how much money people make, okay, I always
talk about how much for you to walk away from
an oncology nurse that had to be seventy five are up?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
It was it was a very scary choice because I mean,
coming from being a single mom, it was. It was scary.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, Amy, we're talking single mom. I mean, you weren't
getting rich, but you were making good money to walk
away from.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I was making good money. I had insurance, and I
had four you know at that time, four teenagers with
cars and everything, and it was it was terrifying. But
you know, I, yes, sir, I worked nights and weekends
and picked up extra jobs doing catering when I could.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
I say, I want you to succeed so badly right
now for all those concernations, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
And I still talk to their families on Facebook and everything.
It was a privilege it's such a privilege, yes, sir,
and I still take them boxes when their families ask,
and I you know, I love the ones that it
was such a privilege truly. I mean you get to
be there, and you know, people talk about intimacy. That's
(14:46):
the ultimate intimacy and privilege as a human being is
being with a person during their scariest that's most difficult moments,
we think, and I got to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
It's true, you know better than I do. But we
think of the words I've had this conversation many times.
We think of the words intimacy with regard to sex.
And that's important, it's an important part of life. But
there is so much intimacy you can have even with
a rank stranger. If you or they are going through
(15:21):
the throes of advanced cancer or any it's some sort
of trauma, some sort of health condition, because you're weak
and you need strength, and you need comfort and you
need someone to rely on. Okay, So if people going
it says shop now, you got meats and cheeses and
fruits and vegetables. If someone shops now, you can't mail
(15:46):
this stuff.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
We deliver locally all over the city.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Who is we we tried to do me.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And myself and my kids. So three of my our
own kids work with me.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
What are their names.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
That's Avery, ari Ann and Alden. They work with me
full time and it's just the four of us and
we make boxes.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
And Okay, I got a bunch of questions. I'm going
to keep cutting off. I'm sorry to me, but I
got so many quip in my mind is whizzy. I
want to help you so much, you.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Go for it.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
So you've got Paul keewtery for the dog people, and
then you've got all sorts of you know, different things
they can get here. Is there a delivery fee?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Yes, sir, so we for twenty dollars. We deliver all
over the city. We go to a thirty mile radius,
which is pretty much all the suburbs in the metroplex.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
You you can't make it make sense for twenty bucks.
After that, you do event catering, you do corporate orders. Man,
you get one exon headquarters, you get one man. That
Tomball area has so many businesses. We could get one
company there to say, I tell you what, GI over
(17:00):
us one hundred of the let me see one. That's
one hundred bucks authentic cigar box, the grazers.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
That's what we do, those grazers and those cigars. I
had to bring you a cigar box, by the way,
because I know you guys will love that. You're gonna
have to let me know how many people are there
so I can catchy'all all a box. But those grazers
are our number one seller for corporate orders because they're
so easy, and whenever the pandemic was going on, everything
(17:27):
had to be individualized, and so that has been the
easiest option for big, big orders.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Scheduled for one segment. But my goodness, you hold on
just a moment and let us love one of you.
My goodness for faith. How much you think she was making.
I bet she was making eighty grand as an oncology nurse.
You'd be surprised. The Michael Barry Show. You know what's
(18:00):
a big trend now, ramon RV resort parts. Yeah, it's
not a trailer part. People don't live there forever. It's
not a scene out of what was the Gillies movie
Urban Cowboy. It's these big behemoth RV's and they pull in.
(18:23):
They got swimming pools, and they got a community center,
and I mean, it's a it's a big to do
and they are all the rage all. I don't know
how long people stay there or whatever. I just got
an email from the Hilltop Brenham dot com luxury ARV
Resort and they want you to know it's his luxury,
his fancy stuff. Yep, it is. Uh anyway, it's a
(18:46):
big deal. Our buddy Lousavareice has invited us there having
a big boxing match. It's the commercial real estate community
doing the fighting. And the fun part for any of
you who have never done that. Savarice's promotions is always
puts on a good event. But it's really fun to
watch amateurs fight because they do three rounds of two
(19:08):
minutes each and it's guys with day jobs, and it's
kind of like watching a twenty eight year old guy
who hasn't run since high school, who was a good
athlete back in the day, and they don't realize how
out of shape they are, and they don't you don't
realize what boxing does to your legs, and so they
come out right all over and the other guy and
they missed with every shot. Maybe hit a guy in
(19:29):
the back because he's running at them, and it's like
alfalfa where they put the left you know, Jeb out
there so he can't get in his zone. And then
by the second round, one dude's gonna knock the other
one out because he has no gas left. He is
completely out of gas. The website is grazables dot com. Amy,
I'm not gonna lie to you. I don't give a
damn what the business is. I'm just blown away at
(19:52):
what you've done. I just happened to like the stuff
you put in here.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Well, I'm glad you like it, because we're going to
bring y'all some soft you know.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Your Your new place at four oh six West Main
and Tombaugh is about a quarter mile from the world
headquarters studios of your Heritage Film dot com and now
year Flix, which is for people do it for their
high school kids or their kids. You do it on
an annual basis. We just did it for ours. My
buddy Chance McLain's World headquarters is about a quarter mile
(20:27):
from you. You literally walk to you. Hello, Wow, what was
that for?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, I'm here.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
I didn't say I was sending him food. You grubber. Okay,
So who are your biggest clients right now? Do you
have any corporate clients.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
We do have corporate clients, so we do a lot
for Schlumberja, We do a lot for Shell Corporation. We
do a lot with pharmaceutical company of Saint Luke's I
Memortal Herman. So those are some of our bigger accounts
that we you know, I love being tied in still
(21:04):
the healthcare and helping to.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Yeah, and those pharmaceutical reps. I know they've made some
changes to what they can spend, but uh, they'll they'll
swing by and pick it. They bring stuff to the
docks when they when they make their when they make
their calls to sell pills. And those guys have a
have a credit card like you wouldn't believe how much
of your business's corporate business.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Right now, I'd say probably about thirty percent is corporate.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Okay, all right, It's going to be interesting to see
how you do in Tomball because once people realize you're
there and being on main Street will help, that community
is very, very supportive. I used to know the guy
that was the head of the Tombault Business Development Mike Baxter.
Does that name Riabell?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
That doesn't I met Bruce who's over the chamber in
the chamber about two weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Yeah, this is the business development side of Tomball, but
you should reach out to him because they do a lot.
They've got an email list that moves, I mean it
moves the needle. Everybody, every business around there will know
about you. And the other thing is making sure that
the little community newspaper. Community newspapers in places like Tomball
(22:21):
make a big difference. So if somebody walks in, they
can't eat your item there, they have to take it
to go. These are really packaged deals as presents and
gifts and those sorts of things.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Right right, so when right now, we're pre order so
people they can order in the morning for same day
or we kind of do twenty four hour notice or
longer if it's a big event. And when we open
the Tomball store, we'll have where people can walk in
and we can you know, make a quick box for
them while they wait, or they can just get something
(22:54):
that's already packaged up. So we're trying to make it
really friendly for all the folks that are walking around
out there. So we'll have a lot of unique items
that are healthy and just a really pretty option to
have something that's unique and different whether they want to
go to the farmer's market or just walk around and shop.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
You know what I don't like about your website? What
on the about us section there's no picture of you
and your kids. You got to tell a story. You
are a story. Anybody can cut up fruits and vegetables
and meats and cheeses, and they can't make them look
as pretty as you do, and they can package them nicely.
You got a story. People want a story. They want
(23:32):
to know that this box is more than the sum
of its whole. It's more than the contents. This is
a family, this is love, this is a struggle. This
is I mean your service as a as a as
a cancer nurse. I mean that's to me, that is
just tug at the heartstrings. I am moved by that.
I'm impressed. And the fact that you're not some corporation
(23:55):
with with you know, venture capital behind you. That's just
opening locations around the country. And then you know, Rent's
repeat started over. I mean you when you opened that
door of the first day, it's going to be like
Russell Lebara when he opened his first Gringos and he
talked about going over and he was the waiter that
everything he talked about walking over the line. Yeah, he
had one guy in the back kitchen and he's in
(24:16):
the front and it was forty eight fifty two twelve
I think was his rent per month, and all he
knew he had to he had to do was make
his rent every month because three restaurants had failed there.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
So yeah, I mean, that's that's what we're doing now.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Okay, can we get a picture of you and the
kids and a little more of a story and your
name and on the about us because I always go
to the about us.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Absolutely, I'll fix that today.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Are you the web person too?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
I'm the web person? So I built that on go daddy.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
We need to get a video. We need to get
chance to trade out a video for you and give
him like a gift card in exchange for just a
little brief video of you and your family telling the story.
Artisan created grazing boxes, boards and tablescapes. These are pretty
room you see this? Wow, these are nice? I like
you got enough of those cigar boxes because I could
(25:12):
see people wanting the hell out of that and the
way you shave up that that that what do you
call that meat presudo? So it looks like a flower.
You got stuff for the dogs grazables dot com Amy.
We will be back in touch. You don't have to
send us anything. We'll come see you. Good luck.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Oh you're the best. I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Just show you cancer nurse them. I'm just trying to
be father. He's a daughter and this son be lover
to their mother. Everything. Who ever won up bend that
(26:00):
brid early from all business in my suit him dressed
up posed success from my head down to my booze.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
I don't do it for all the money.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
There's bills from David Maulsby at camp Home. Another life
saved by Radio Lance is a marine. He's a veteran
who deployed to Iraq in three He came home, he struggled.
He turned to drugs. This past March, he was spiraling
(26:37):
and his family feared for his life. His stepfather owns
a flooring company business or flooring business in Tampa, Florida.
One of his employees is a former employee of Flarerty's
floor who moved out to Tampa after COVID shut down
the world. Having been in Houston and listening to your show,
(27:00):
told the stepdad who owns the flooring business about a
place in Houston called Camp Hope. The stepdad called me
about Lance, his son. Well, a few minutes ago we
recorded Lance's graduation video. I am forever thankful this marine
is alive today, sober and healthy, for his own sake,
(27:26):
but also for his mother, his stepfather, and his ten
year old son. My heart is full of gratitude for
the Michael Berry Show, I Heeart Houston, and all of
the show sponsors and listeners who support our mission and
help share our story with this amazing community. They started
(27:50):
doing something a couple of years ago, and I'm glad
they did. It's not a real high production value. David
just stands in front of a camera, in front of
the Camp Hope logo, and he'll say, Lance, you're graduating
Camp Hope today. It's a six month program, graduating six
You're graduating Camp Hope today. Tell me how you got here,
(28:13):
and they'll tell about how they grew. Usually they're enlisted,
almost always enlisted. Why they enlisted to serve most of
them still, the moment was nine to eleven or after
nine to eleven, and they wanted to go kick the
ass of the guys who had toppled our towers and
(28:35):
then the things they saw in theater. In combat, they
always talk about their buddies. That's the thing that is
the common theme. They're not a bunch of silos over there.
It's all about teamwork, and so they become just a
(28:57):
thread in a quilt. And for many of them, it's
not just that they lose their brothers to war, it's
that they lose their brothers when they come home, because
nothing can replace the fraternity of combat with guys you
(29:22):
love and love you who are all literally willing to
lay down their lives. If you've ever been around somebody
who played sports professionally and they got to play it
up into their thirties, you know that there is a
transitional period for many of them that can lead to
(29:46):
the onset of depression, drugs, difficulty dealing with others, withdrawal,
isolation because everything that sparked endorphins, an intense endorphins is gone.
So that is a natural high of hormones and chemicals
(30:07):
within your body that now are gone, and that's very difficult.
It leads to a crash and nothing can seem to
replace it. It's a very common thing. In fact, I
was reading an article about a guy who was a
bull rider that had this problem because nothing would give
him that sense of intensity. So these guys come home
(30:31):
and they miss the brotherhood and they miss what it was,
and they're coping with what they've seen and they've got nightmares.
Nobody understands them. Many many times, no matter how hard
a woman tries, she grows weary of him screaming or
(30:51):
his short temper. He's quick to anger. She may not
approve of his alcohol or drug use. She may not
approve of his buddies that come over to the house,
and so things grow tense in the home. Sometimes that
(31:13):
can lead to a push, which leads to a call.
And in today's world, we don't give police officers even
one bit of discretion. Nope, somebody's got to go down,
and it's almost always going to be him. So now,
what started as an argument because we had some after
school specials of domestic abuse, but started as an argument
(31:38):
nobody ever got hit, leads to he's now in jail,
so his dad's got to come get him out. He's
mad at her, he's embarrassed, he's frustrated. He never saw this.
He's supposed to be a war hero. Dad comes to
(31:59):
get him the drive home. What in the hell is
going on? What is wrong with you? I don't know,
because he doesn't. He doesn't have the tools to cope
with us. He has the tools to clean his rifle
and use it. He has the tools to survive in
the desert. He has the tools to kill and survive,
(32:20):
and he did. He has the tools to navigate the
United States military. But he does not have the tools
to operate in this world. And bad things are happening.
Maybe he gets pulled over for DWI, maybe it's drugs,
Maybe he gets in a fight. Of course there's the
(32:41):
domestic dispute. So now he's been to jail, he's got shame.
Everybody in the family knows it, and so what do
I have to lose now? So that leads to the
isolation because he doesn't want to have to confront anybody
because he's the guy that got arrested. And in our family,
that's embarrassing. Greater isolation, greater depression, more drug use, and
(33:09):
it ends up there behind the high school or the
church with a fifth of whiskey and a pistol in
their mouth. And if we're lucky, they call eight seven
seven seven one seven PTSD, And the guy on the
other end of the line is the only guy that
can understand what they've been through because he made that
(33:29):
call two years, three years, five years, eight years ago,
and eventually they talk him into letting them come and
get him. They bring him in for the night, He
survives the night, and six months later he's graduating and
ready to live again because those veterans were there for them,
(33:53):
and you made it possible for those veterans to be
there by providing them a place to sleep in THO
to e. So, if you know a veteran who needs
help eight seven seven seven one seven et SD, if
you want to help, Camp Hope eight three two nine
one two forty four twenty nine. Eight three two nine
one two forty four twenty nine
Have you seen this traffic out here? People have lost
their mind behind all this Christmas stuff, Han Gord, they
already be down there, just swarm and everything. Good Lord.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Never saw nothing like this before. Mmmm.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Just look at them white folks loading up their kids
in all their mini vans. They know that Thanksgiving just
around the corner. They better make their Christmas plans. Honey.
They go in droves to the stoves just to go
sit on Santa claus Laft with their little artificial Christmas
trees and a little minted.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Sweater they put on their cat. Hurry up, hurry up,
hurry up.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Let's go.
Speaker 3 (00:40):
Let's go to the stove.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
What y'all going down there for artificial snow?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
That's ignorant.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Let's go to the mall.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You can't get up in there. Them white people. They're
up in there having a bull. I see them white
folks charging their credit cards out to the max, honey,
just buying out.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Why can't they just chill, you know, relax.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Them white folks be spending money like it grown on trees.
I ain't never sound nothing like itey.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
They need to be down on their knees. Shoot, now,
let me tell you something.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
With my nineteen children, they know they get popped in
the mouth if they start to work in my nerves
when I'm trying to shop at the grocery store shoe.
But them white people, honey, they do not care the
kids tell them what to do. Honey. If that was
my children, I would beat they butt black and blue.
But it ain't nothing too good.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
I for know this little Tiffany.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And Louise under the Jeremy or Joshua or Johnny, and
what their name is, Elouise? Why do white people get
them names for their children. I don't understand. It's ignorant.
That's so ignorant. Seem like everything about this time of
year is just ignorant. I just can't take it no more.
(01:57):
You know, honey, You got these white folks charging the
credit cards out to the max, just buy everything inside
when they need to chill and relax. But them white
people spends money like it growed on trees. And I
ain't never sound nothing like it. They need to get
back down on their knees. Oh no, honey, they hurry.
(02:18):
They got to get to that stove, the artifice just
so that's so ignorant. And they little plastic Christmas tree
and they put their little body up on their house,
and reindeers be up on their roof. Just look at them,
white people making a fool out of themselves. White folks
everywhere all over town, minivands.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
Good lord, they root off the red blue reindeer self.
That's ignorant. Just wearing my nerves.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
I need to make my shopping list anyway. Look, you
tell your mama and them. I asked her to have
a happy Crystal, telling her she needed to call me.
Tell her she better not forgetting my gift either.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
I'm not.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
I share stories of restauranteurs only when I'm authorized to
do so. I asked Russell Lebara a couple of weeks ago.
I said, Russell, tell me this, and this always comes
off the wrong way. It's like when I still can't
get abody to explain to me why George Strait is
so successful, and think, oh.
Speaker 1 (03:21):
It is exactly.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
You're stupid. What No, I'm curious. Curiosity is good. You
should encourage that. Curious. People who are curious are going
to learn more than you. They're going to end up
better than you. You should be curious. It's okay to
ask a question, even if the answer turns out to
be something that ninety percent of people know. By not
(03:45):
asking the question, you don't look smarter. You learn by
being curious. And what was I just talking about, Romeo? Oh,
I asked Russell. I said, I don't understand how every
single one of your units performs so well and have
(04:06):
performed so well for so long in such a competitive
restaurant environment. And so he gives you these you know, well,
we try hard and we care about our people. Okay,
that's all good. Give me an example and he said, well,
we pay our some in our some of our locations.
(04:27):
Instead of paying our weight staff two dollars and now
we pay him ten dollars. Well, what plus tips? What
you hoie for the evening shift after seven people? I mean,
that's unheard of, right. And he talked about trips, and
he talked about you know, the things they do, and
(04:47):
his kitchen, by the way, he takes great pride in
how clean his kitchen is, and his kitchen managers every
night send him a video. They walk through the kitchen
and they send a video of the kitchen. Now you
might say to yourself, well, what do I care. I mean,
I'm out front, I don't care. That level of attention
to detail results in everything being excellent. You can't be
(05:12):
excellent at just some things. It's a culture of excellence. Well. Sadly,
Southwest Airlines under herb Keller Hair, herb Keller Hair was
a titan, a vision, a pioneer in the industry. But
it ain't herb Keller Hair's airline anymore. I'm sad to say.
And that's a bummer because Southwest Airlines had a special
(05:34):
place in my heart for a very long time. But wow,
you talk about inconveniencing people. Wow, I got an email
on a small business, and I mean really small called
Grazibles gra Ze ab l Ees Artisan created grazing boxes,
(05:58):
boards and tablescapes, and as I understand that the woman had,
like I don't know what, she was operating out of
a food truck or her house or whatever. And she
had just opened a storefront I think in Tomball Magnolia,
And I mean, this is a true bootstrap business, this
kind of thing where if you invite her to your birthday,
(06:19):
she ain't coming because it's twenty four to seven, it's
all day, every day. It is living it when the
mail comes in she's afraid there's a tax notice or
you know, some sort of inspection to do it is
and you know, a sucker for that kind of stuff.
Her name is Amy Martinez and I had Brad Gloria,
our booker tracker down Amy.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Yes, sir, all right.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So what were you operating out of before?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
So I right now we're currently in a commercial kitchen
with just a little bitty lobby. We're in an industrial
little business park, and we're building our first brick and
mortar in the historical district.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
In Tomball, Oh where.
Speaker 3 (07:02):
So we'll be right on Main Street, right at Oak
Street and Main Street, next to Auto's Emporium.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
I didn't know anybody could was building anything in old town,
I mean in the old town Dumbo.
Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well, I take it with a grain of salt. I
say building, because we're completely renovating the inside of an
old historical building there in the strip.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
What was it?
Speaker 3 (07:31):
It was an old like a kitchen, granite showroom.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
But you'll have a retail space if people want to
pull in and grab some yes, sir.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
So we'll have a lobby in the front and then
we'll have our retail space and service counter, and then
the back will be our commercial kitchen.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
How many square feet?
Speaker 3 (07:51):
Twenty five hundred? Oh wow?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Okay, and what's the address?
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Four oh six West Main Street.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
How full from Tahas Chocolate.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
One block? Well, we're one block from his Bowl Burger place.
We're on the same side. And then he's right behind us,
about a block and a half away for the big
the barbecue store.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Go over and meet Scott and his wife. If you
haven't already, they have forgotten more about how to be successful.
It was probably the most successful retail business to have
started in the last ten years in Tomball and Texas
Monthly had a lot to do with that, anyway. Hold on.
The website is grazibles dot com.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
The Michael Berry Show.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
The website is grazibles dot com. Amy Martinez is our guest, Amy,
Real quick, what's your story? Where were you born?
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Born here? My parents? I grew up in spring Off
nineteen sixty and I'm the oldest of four girls. And
my dad was Captain Roy Fernandez of Houston Fire Department
EMS for thirty five years. I have an.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Incredible You're Amy Martinez.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I married to Martinez.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
You went from the Martine and I was from the
fris to the Martinez.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
And the food stays the whole time.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Michael, I love it. And what does mister Martinez do?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
He he is my children's father. He works for schlumber
Jay and he and I divorced in twenty ten, so
I've been a single mom since then with all four
of my awesome kids. But he's a great person and
wish him well always.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
How long have you done Grazibles?
Speaker 3 (09:45):
I started Grazibles in twenty nineteen. I was working as
an oncology nurse at the time. When yeah, whenever, I
when my husband I split up, I had to do something,
you know, to take care of my kids, and I
was just to stay at home mom. Before that, I
did a little bit of catering on the weekends.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
Through my church and just at home mom. I was okay,
I won't, okay, let's do that.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
Well, it's a hard job. It's a hard job, and
I do an incredible stay at helme mom. I was
going to stay at home mom very good and volunteered
at my church, had a little catering company.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
So how did you decide in twenty nineteen to do
grazubles dot com?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
I was treating my patients, and I noticed so many
of my patients didn't bring a lunch, and they would
sit through chemotherapy sessions, which for people who don't know,
sometimes can be eight to twelve sometimes sixteen hour days,
and a lot of them wouldn't have a lunch and
(10:53):
they were by themselves. And so I was thinking, what
can I do to help these people feel seen and
heard and just help their situation. So when I have
little catering jobs on the weekends, I would have, you know,
cheese and fruit and little things left over. So I
started packing up these little snack boxes and I'd bring
them and I would sit and write a little handwritten
(11:15):
note to them every morning when I got to the
clinic and just hand it to them so they would
feel valued and not so alone. And you know, I
loved doing that for people, and I loved being a nurse.
It was an incredible part of my journey. And whenever
we were giving boxes, sometimes people would come and they
would have family members with them and they'd say, oh, well,
(11:38):
how do I get this? I want to send this
to my dad or my mom, or I want to
you know, do you sell these? And so I started
selling them for very cheap, and it just picked up
and grew, and then we started making some for kids
for kids lunches, and we would donate a portion back
to pay off lunch accounts at the school with what
(11:59):
we earned, and it just got picked up by Houston
Life and it was I mean, it was crazy. I
never expected that. And then I had to kind of
make a tough decision, and it was something I prayed
with my kids. You know what do I do. I
love being a nurse, but I love also just loving
on people through this and this is my gift. And
(12:20):
so in twenty nineteen, I made the decision to go
full time with Grazables and saw my last patient in
October of twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Amy, you have been there with people in a phase
of their life that more people in society. Almost everybody's
going to end up there in one way or another,
either a family member or themselves. And we never think
about it. And we go to our doctor and we
got a little lump and they cut it out and
(12:50):
they send it off and we worry, but it's going
to be fine, and then it comes back in the
C word and now we're going to buildings where we
can't figure out to get there and where to park
and what to do, and then you're coming in and
we're nervous. I mean, what a window into a segment
of our lives that we never imagine we're going to
(13:13):
be in, And here we are. Amy. I don't know
how to ask this for you to I don't normally
talk about how much money people make, okay, I always
talk about how much for you to walk away from
an oncology nurse that had to be seventy five are up?
Speaker 3 (13:34):
It was it was a very scary choice because I mean,
coming from being a single mom, it was. It was scary.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, Amy, we're talking single mom. I mean, you weren't
getting rich, but you were making good money to walk
away from.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I was making good money. I had insurance, and I
had four you know at that time, four teenagers with
cars and everything, and it was it was terrifying. But
you know, I, yes, sir, I worked nights and weekends
and picked up extra jobs doing catering when I could.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
I say, I want you to succeed so badly right
now for all those concernations, oh my god.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
And I still talk to their families on Facebook and everything.
It was a privilege it's such a privilege, yes, sir,
and I still take them boxes when their families ask,
and I you know, I love the ones that it
was such a privilege truly. I mean you get to
be there, and you know, people talk about intimacy. That's
(14:46):
the ultimate intimacy and privilege as a human being is
being with a person during their scariest that's most difficult moments,
we think, and I got to be a part of that.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
It's true, you know better than I do. But we
think of the words I've had this conversation many times.
We think of the words intimacy with regard to sex.
And that's important, it's an important part of life. But
there is so much intimacy you can have even with
a rank stranger. If you or they are going through
(15:21):
the throes of advanced cancer or any it's some sort
of trauma, some sort of health condition, because you're weak
and you need strength, and you need comfort and you
need someone to rely on. Okay, So if people going
it says shop now, you got meats and cheeses and
fruits and vegetables. If someone shops now, you can't mail
(15:46):
this stuff.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
We deliver locally all over the city.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
Who is we we tried to do me.
Speaker 3 (15:56):
And myself and my kids. So three of my our
own kids work with me.
Speaker 2 (16:01):
What are their names.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
That's Avery, ari Ann and Alden. They work with me
full time and it's just the four of us and
we make boxes.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
And Okay, I got a bunch of questions. I'm going
to keep cutting off. I'm sorry to me, but I
got so many quip in my mind is whizzy. I
want to help you so much, you.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Go for it.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
So you've got Paul keewtery for the dog people, and
then you've got all sorts of you know, different things
they can get here. Is there a delivery fee?
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Yes, sir, so we for twenty dollars. We deliver all
over the city. We go to a thirty mile radius,
which is pretty much all the suburbs in the metroplex.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
You you can't make it make sense for twenty bucks.
After that, you do event catering, you do corporate orders. Man,
you get one exon headquarters, you get one man. That
Tomball area has so many businesses. We could get one
company there to say, I tell you what, GI over
(17:00):
us one hundred of the let me see one. That's
one hundred bucks authentic cigar box, the grazers.
Speaker 3 (17:07):
That's what we do, those grazers and those cigars. I
had to bring you a cigar box, by the way,
because I know you guys will love that. You're gonna
have to let me know how many people are there
so I can catchy'all all a box. But those grazers
are our number one seller for corporate orders because they're
so easy, and whenever the pandemic was going on, everything
(17:27):
had to be individualized, and so that has been the
easiest option for big, big orders.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Scheduled for one segment. But my goodness, you hold on
just a moment and let us love one of you.
My goodness for faith. How much you think she was making.
I bet she was making eighty grand as an oncology nurse.
You'd be surprised. The Michael Barry Show. You know what's
(18:00):
a big trend now, ramon RV resort parts. Yeah, it's
not a trailer part. People don't live there forever. It's
not a scene out of what was the Gillies movie
Urban Cowboy. It's these big behemoth RV's and they pull in.
(18:23):
They got swimming pools, and they got a community center,
and I mean, it's a it's a big to do
and they are all the rage all. I don't know
how long people stay there or whatever. I just got
an email from the Hilltop Brenham dot com luxury ARV
Resort and they want you to know it's his luxury,
his fancy stuff. Yep, it is. Uh anyway, it's a
(18:46):
big deal. Our buddy Lousavareice has invited us there having
a big boxing match. It's the commercial real estate community
doing the fighting. And the fun part for any of
you who have never done that. Savarice's promotions is always
puts on a good event. But it's really fun to
watch amateurs fight because they do three rounds of two
(19:08):
minutes each and it's guys with day jobs, and it's
kind of like watching a twenty eight year old guy
who hasn't run since high school, who was a good
athlete back in the day, and they don't realize how
out of shape they are, and they don't you don't
realize what boxing does to your legs, and so they
come out right all over and the other guy and
they missed with every shot. Maybe hit a guy in
(19:29):
the back because he's running at them, and it's like
alfalfa where they put the left you know, Jeb out
there so he can't get in his zone. And then
by the second round, one dude's gonna knock the other
one out because he has no gas left. He is
completely out of gas. The website is grazables dot com. Amy,
I'm not gonna lie to you. I don't give a
damn what the business is. I'm just blown away at
(19:52):
what you've done. I just happened to like the stuff
you put in here.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
Well, I'm glad you like it, because we're going to
bring y'all some soft you know.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Your Your new place at four oh six West Main
and Tombaugh is about a quarter mile from the world
headquarters studios of your Heritage Film dot com and now
year Flix, which is for people do it for their
high school kids or their kids. You do it on
an annual basis. We just did it for ours. My
buddy Chance McLain's World headquarters is about a quarter mile
(20:27):
from you. You literally walk to you. Hello, Wow, what was
that for?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
Yeah, I'm here.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
I didn't say I was sending him food. You grubber. Okay,
So who are your biggest clients right now? Do you
have any corporate clients.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
We do have corporate clients, so we do a lot
for Schlumberja, We do a lot for Shell Corporation. We
do a lot with pharmaceutical company of Saint Luke's I
Memortal Herman. So those are some of our bigger accounts
that we you know, I love being tied in still
(21:04):
the healthcare and helping to.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
Yeah, and those pharmaceutical reps. I know they've made some
changes to what they can spend, but uh, they'll they'll
swing by and pick it. They bring stuff to the
docks when they when they make their when they make
their calls to sell pills. And those guys have a
have a credit card like you wouldn't believe how much
of your business's corporate business.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Right now, I'd say probably about thirty percent is corporate.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Okay, all right, It's going to be interesting to see
how you do in Tomball because once people realize you're
there and being on main Street will help, that community
is very, very supportive. I used to know the guy
that was the head of the Tombault Business Development Mike Baxter.
Does that name Riabell?
Speaker 3 (21:53):
That doesn't I met Bruce who's over the chamber in
the chamber about two weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Yeah, this is the business development side of Tomball, but
you should reach out to him because they do a lot.
They've got an email list that moves, I mean it
moves the needle. Everybody, every business around there will know
about you. And the other thing is making sure that
the little community newspaper. Community newspapers in places like Tomball
(22:21):
make a big difference. So if somebody walks in, they
can't eat your item there, they have to take it
to go. These are really packaged deals as presents and
gifts and those sorts of things.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
Right right, so when right now, we're pre order so
people they can order in the morning for same day
or we kind of do twenty four hour notice or
longer if it's a big event. And when we open
the Tomball store, we'll have where people can walk in
and we can you know, make a quick box for
them while they wait, or they can just get something
(22:54):
that's already packaged up. So we're trying to make it
really friendly for all the folks that are walking around
out there. So we'll have a lot of unique items
that are healthy and just a really pretty option to
have something that's unique and different whether they want to
go to the farmer's market or just walk around and shop.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
You know what I don't like about your website? What
on the about us section there's no picture of you
and your kids. You got to tell a story. You
are a story. Anybody can cut up fruits and vegetables
and meats and cheeses, and they can't make them look
as pretty as you do, and they can package them nicely.
You got a story. People want a story. They want
(23:32):
to know that this box is more than the sum
of its whole. It's more than the contents. This is
a family, this is love, this is a struggle. This
is I mean your service as a as a as
a cancer nurse. I mean that's to me, that is
just tug at the heartstrings. I am moved by that.
I'm impressed. And the fact that you're not some corporation
(23:55):
with with you know, venture capital behind you. That's just
opening locations around the country. And then you know, Rent's
repeat started over. I mean you when you opened that
door of the first day, it's going to be like
Russell Lebara when he opened his first Gringos and he
talked about going over and he was the waiter that
everything he talked about walking over the line. Yeah, he
had one guy in the back kitchen and he's in
(24:16):
the front and it was forty eight fifty two twelve
I think was his rent per month, and all he
knew he had to he had to do was make
his rent every month because three restaurants had failed there.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
So yeah, I mean, that's that's what we're doing now.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
Okay, can we get a picture of you and the
kids and a little more of a story and your
name and on the about us because I always go
to the about us.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
Absolutely, I'll fix that today.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Are you the web person too?
Speaker 3 (24:46):
I'm the web person? So I built that on go daddy.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
We need to get a video. We need to get
chance to trade out a video for you and give
him like a gift card in exchange for just a
little brief video of you and your family telling the story.
Artisan created grazing boxes, boards and tablescapes. These are pretty
room you see this? Wow, these are nice? I like
you got enough of those cigar boxes because I could
(25:12):
see people wanting the hell out of that and the
way you shave up that that that what do you
call that meat presudo? So it looks like a flower.
You got stuff for the dogs grazables dot com Amy.
We will be back in touch. You don't have to
send us anything. We'll come see you. Good luck.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Oh you're the best. I appreciate you guys.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Just show you cancer nurse them. I'm just trying to
be father. He's a daughter and this son be lover
to their mother. Everything. Who ever won up bend that
(26:00):
brid early from all business in my suit him dressed
up posed success from my head down to my booze.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
I don't do it for all the money.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
There's bills from David Maulsby at camp Home. Another life
saved by Radio Lance is a marine. He's a veteran
who deployed to Iraq in three He came home, he struggled.
He turned to drugs. This past March, he was spiraling
(26:37):
and his family feared for his life. His stepfather owns
a flooring company business or flooring business in Tampa, Florida.
One of his employees is a former employee of Flarerty's
floor who moved out to Tampa after COVID shut down
the world. Having been in Houston and listening to your show,
(27:00):
told the stepdad who owns the flooring business about a
place in Houston called Camp Hope. The stepdad called me
about Lance, his son. Well, a few minutes ago we
recorded Lance's graduation video. I am forever thankful this marine
is alive today, sober and healthy, for his own sake,
(27:26):
but also for his mother, his stepfather, and his ten
year old son. My heart is full of gratitude for
the Michael Berry Show, I Heeart Houston, and all of
the show sponsors and listeners who support our mission and
help share our story with this amazing community. They started
(27:50):
doing something a couple of years ago, and I'm glad
they did. It's not a real high production value. David
just stands in front of a camera, in front of
the Camp Hope logo, and he'll say, Lance, you're graduating
Camp Hope today. It's a six month program, graduating six
You're graduating Camp Hope today. Tell me how you got here,
(28:13):
and they'll tell about how they grew. Usually they're enlisted,
almost always enlisted. Why they enlisted to serve most of
them still, the moment was nine to eleven or after
nine to eleven, and they wanted to go kick the
ass of the guys who had toppled our towers and
(28:35):
then the things they saw in theater. In combat, they
always talk about their buddies. That's the thing that is
the common theme. They're not a bunch of silos over there.
It's all about teamwork, and so they become just a
(28:57):
thread in a quilt. And for many of them, it's
not just that they lose their brothers to war, it's
that they lose their brothers when they come home, because
nothing can replace the fraternity of combat with guys you
(29:22):
love and love you who are all literally willing to
lay down their lives. If you've ever been around somebody
who played sports professionally and they got to play it
up into their thirties, you know that there is a
transitional period for many of them that can lead to
(29:46):
the onset of depression, drugs, difficulty dealing with others, withdrawal,
isolation because everything that sparked endorphins, an intense endorphins is gone.
So that is a natural high of hormones and chemicals
(30:07):
within your body that now are gone, and that's very difficult.
It leads to a crash and nothing can seem to
replace it. It's a very common thing. In fact, I
was reading an article about a guy who was a
bull rider that had this problem because nothing would give
him that sense of intensity. So these guys come home
(30:31):
and they miss the brotherhood and they miss what it was,
and they're coping with what they've seen and they've got nightmares.
Nobody understands them. Many many times, no matter how hard
a woman tries, she grows weary of him screaming or
(30:51):
his short temper. He's quick to anger. She may not
approve of his alcohol or drug use. She may not
approve of his buddies that come over to the house,
and so things grow tense in the home. Sometimes that
(31:13):
can lead to a push, which leads to a call.
And in today's world, we don't give police officers even
one bit of discretion. Nope, somebody's got to go down,
and it's almost always going to be him. So now,
what started as an argument because we had some after
school specials of domestic abuse, but started as an argument
(31:38):
nobody ever got hit, leads to he's now in jail,
so his dad's got to come get him out. He's
mad at her, he's embarrassed, he's frustrated. He never saw this.
He's supposed to be a war hero. Dad comes to
(31:59):
get him the drive home. What in the hell is
going on? What is wrong with you? I don't know,
because he doesn't. He doesn't have the tools to cope
with us. He has the tools to clean his rifle
and use it. He has the tools to survive in
the desert. He has the tools to kill and survive,
(32:20):
and he did. He has the tools to navigate the
United States military. But he does not have the tools
to operate in this world. And bad things are happening.
Maybe he gets pulled over for DWI, maybe it's drugs,
Maybe he gets in a fight. Of course there's the
(32:41):
domestic dispute. So now he's been to jail, he's got shame.
Everybody in the family knows it, and so what do
I have to lose now? So that leads to the
isolation because he doesn't want to have to confront anybody
because he's the guy that got arrested. And in our family,
that's embarrassing. Greater isolation, greater depression, more drug use, and
(33:09):
it ends up there behind the high school or the
church with a fifth of whiskey and a pistol in
their mouth. And if we're lucky, they call eight seven
seven seven one seven PTSD, And the guy on the
other end of the line is the only guy that
can understand what they've been through because he made that
(33:29):
call two years, three years, five years, eight years ago,
and eventually they talk him into letting them come and
get him. They bring him in for the night, He
survives the night, and six months later he's graduating and
ready to live again because those veterans were there for them,
(33:53):
and you made it possible for those veterans to be
there by providing them a place to sleep in THO
to e. So, if you know a veteran who needs
help eight seven seven seven one seven et SD, if
you want to help, Camp Hope eight three two nine
one two forty four twenty nine. Eight three two nine
one two forty four twenty nine
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