Veteran's Day is today and it has me thinking about the people in my life who have served, both past and present. It also has me thinking about this last week with the Election, and some of the "aftermath" of that Election.
First, let me start by saying Thank You to those in my family who have served. My Mom's side of the family is filled with Military Service, from my Mom herself (yep, she was an Air Traffic Controller!), to my Grandfather, or My "Opa" (Grandfather in German) who started as a Medic in Vietnam, and became a Helicopter Pilot and who served for more than 25 years. In those 25 years he saw multiple tours of duty in Vietnam, Korea, and the Congo conflict. Then when you add in spouses, everyone has "served" in the military somehow! My Mom met mt biological Dad in the Army; she did Air Traffic Control, he did Tower (sorta my version of Cinderella!), my Aunt married military men, and her son's followed in their Dad's footsteps, so at one point she had two sons and a husband all over in Afghanistan and Iraq...still to this day Im not sure how she managed that!
When I was a little girl, and still some to this day, I am in awe of the soldier and what he or she stands for. I have spent hours staring at pictures of my mom and grandfather during their service, in their camo, doing their jobs; that particular moment caught in time for eternity. It's a whole other world, that we as "civilians" are on the outside looking in on, only to guess how it must feel to be in their shoes, to do their jobs, in a world that very few fully understand. I think for this reason days like today are so important; we frequently say thank you to our men and women who are serving, but those Thank You's are often, almost, automatic. Today is a day when we can say Thank You correctly; despite our politics, what we do or dont believe, today is the day when we say a TRULY heartfelt THANK YOU. Thank you for keeping us safe, thank you for allowing us the freedom to be able to speak our minds without worry of penalty, thank you for the sacrifices that you make day in and day out; you miss out on Holidays, sick days, birth days, babies births, the big moments, the little moments, all the moments that matter. Thank you for being willing to make those sacrifices so that we can truly say that we live, "in the land of the free, and the home of the brave...."
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