We all had the day off today and because God has blessed us with the nicest week in Nov EVER (yay!), we decided to take advantage of it and get outside for a while. :-) We went out to eat, ran a few errands, then walked uptown to Washington Park and went to the war memorial. I thought I had read that there was going to be a 24-hr veteran watch at the memorial, but when we got there, no one else was there. I had hoped for the kids to get a chance to really get the sincerity of the day, but we talked about how we honor those that have served instead. Don't know how much they grasp it yet. They're so lucky to live in a nation of freedom, where they really don't have to fear what each day brings like they do in other countries. They don't really understand what it is like to grow up without the freedoms we so take for granted. But, I hope as we continue to plant the seed of knowledge, that they will know always what a blessed nation we are. And that our freedoms come on the backs of the men and women who have served and given their lives to protect what we hold dear. I also want to mention the families of those who serve. Having had a small taste of what it's like to be "left behind" while the dad goes off to do his job, it made me realized the strength and sacrifice of those military families. I had a husband who left for the better part of 3 months, fully knowing the whole time he was never in danger. Those who have had loved ones overseas in dangerous and frightful areas of combat haven't had the luxury I have and many have handled it with amazingly strong wills. If it wasn't for the support of their families, our soldiers would suffer even more than they do in times of war. Thank you to the veterans who have served and are serving now and to their families for remaining strong in the face of loneliness and fear. May God bless you and protect you.
2 comments:
You should make this into a column for the paper. Alan was in the Army during the Viet Nam war and I was in angst from day to day wondering if he was going to be shipped out. Fortunately Mr. Nixon ended it all before he was sent overseas. It was looming before us, and because he brought the troops home in 1972 Alan was able to stay stateside. But he was in a war zone -- New York City -- and was not able to wear his uniform because so many men in uniform at that time were being beaten and even killed by Americans -- if you can believe that? Glad those days are over.
I can't even imagine that. I can't imagine anyone not having respect for our servicemen and women. So thankful that we now recognize their sacrifice as what it is - a sacrifice! And, like I said in my post, I got just a brief glimpse into what it is like for someone that has a family member gone and it was so difficult. Can't imagine what it would've been like if I knew he was risking his life every day on top of that. I think back to the generation of my grandparents who didn't have emails or skype. They had to wait for letters to know that the other was safe. What a strong group of people they were. Veterans deserve to be honored, but let's not forget the sacrifice of their families too. They all should be recognized.
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