KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- A single tear fell from her crystal blue eyes as she embraced her father, wishing him well on his deployment. She may have only been 7 years old, but she knew he was defending her way of life.
“I remember how hard it was to say goodbye to my dad when he deployed last year, but I also learned a valuable lesson while he was gone,” said Meddie Tuckey, daughter of Tech. Sgt. Gregory Tuckey, 338th Training Squadron instructor supervisor. “I was inspired to share it with others.”
With the pain from missing her father, Meddie took a marker to paper and began her journey of healing through writing “Finding Happiness in Sadness.” In her book, she discovered her own superpower.
“Every military child is a superhero that holds a power many do not even know they have,” said Meddie. “I hope everyone will see that we all hold a secret superhero power, turning sadness into happiness!”
Meddie brought light into her household with the positivity she exemplified, changing not only her sadness into happiness, but her family’s as well. Her parents received more than happiness from Meddie; they were given pride.
“We are so incredibly proud of our daughter,” said Megan Tuckey, mother of Meddie. “She perfectly showcased her beautiful heart in learning how to turn sadness into happiness. We’re truly blessed to watch her touch so many lives through her writing.”
Meddie’s story was shared with children on base who may face or have faced their own parents deploying in hopes of them finding their own ability to turn sadness into happiness.
“Seeing our base culture of resilience reaching past the workplace, and into the homes of our Air Force families is amazing,” said Col. Heather Blackwell, 81st Training Wing commander. “It was truly inspiring to read this story to the young minds on base.”