Ahhh....the last Monday in May. A day for cookouts, the traditional opening of pools...Summer has begun. As kids play outside and you smell the charcoal heating, you can almost hear the jingle of the ice cream truck as it makes the rounds. Perfect, isn't it?
Remember....there are families who don't have a mom or dad at home to complete this idyllic scene. Because Mom or Dad is somewhere protecting our rights and freedoms. Mom or Dad is making sure that we can have days like this, that we can wear what we want, worship how we choose...
Even worse, there are families where Mom or Dad has died, defending these same rights, trying to secure these rights for others.
Everyday we should remember how quickly all this can be lost. And we should honor those who ensure that it isn't. How can we, as a nation, seem to have forgotten so quickly? Less than a decade ago we were brutally reminded that even we are not safe from fear, uncertainty, tragedy. As a country we seem to have lost that knowledge. People are protesting the war, saying it's being fought for the wrong reasons. In all honesty, I don't know about that, but I know this: Those troops, those brave men and women, are fighting for US. They are following orders and protecting their country as they are told. They are losing friends, sometimes family, chances to see children born, and putting their own lives at risk. As a country we need to support them.
When I was pregnant with Wyatt, I worked for a private ambulance company. One of the contracts we had was with Andrews AFB. When soldiers were flown home from Germany to go Walter Reed, we transported the most critical. I remember my first transport. The patient...he was on a vent, unconscious, and I remember looking at him and thinking he looked like a baby. He was only 19, I think. But at 19 years old, he was already braver than many grown men I know...including most firefighters. I remember driving on the beltway, my flashing lights all the brighter because it was nighttime, looking at the other cars wondering if they had any clue that they were so close to a true hero. It was an honor to be part of the team that cared for these people. An honor, but indeed, a sad one.
Please take more than a moment today to remember these brave men and women and their families. Not just the ones fighting now, but the ones who have fought in the past. They are the true superheroes. Take a minute today and every day to pray for them.
Here is a video we were shown in church yesterday. I know, it's not Veterans Day as the video says at the end...but there isn't one more appropriate
Thanks for a great post!
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