Making “Thank You” Count!
With age and experience each Veteran’s Day seems more important, more solemn, and also more joyful for me. We always observed Veteran’s Day when I was growing up. Several generations of men in my family have served in the armed forces. Most of them served in the Navy until the recent trend of young men in this generation serving in the Army. Needless to say there are always plenty of people around our home to say “thank you” to on this day.
Last Veteran’s Day I was waiting for my son’s plane to come in. He was on his way home for a small break during his 15-month deployment. The day after he landed we learned that a very good friend of his was killed Baqubah. Our Thanksgiving Day that year was spent passing the turkey and facing the harsh reality of war and the devastating loss that combat brings.
The importance of Veteran’s Day has grown for me in the past few years. My own understanding of how my freedom as an American is linked to the lives we celebrate on this day has made me more aware of exactly what we are celebrating. The lives of soldiers, past and present, those who have fallen and those still standing are the reason why I am free to live according to my convictions. I worship at the church of my choice thanks to these soldiers. I walk out of my home with my face uncovered, and go about my business as a law abiding citizen, thanks to these soldiers. I write my blog, speak my mind and speak of dreams I have for my daughter with confidence, because of our soldiers! God made me free, but our soldiers protect that most precious and most coveted of human traits.
My solemnity grows with the realization of the depth of the sacrifice it has taken to both achieve and then maintain our freedom. Freedom is the most costly of commodities. It can not be bought or paid for with anything but courage and valor. Its costliness is wrapped up in the very origins of human freedom. Tyrannism would seek to rob man of his freedom, and therefore it takes a warrior to preserve freedom and allow us to live without the bondage of wicked rulers. “Evil rules when good men do nothing.” That quote attributed to statesman Edmund Burke is one that always reminds of what our soldiers accomplish for us. My husband would add that “good men” would never sit and do nothing in the face of evil; a man who would ignore evil is not a good man. I guess that explains his own military service.
Joy is my response when I look around me, not just in my own family, but all around me I see young men and women who embody the values, strength and moxie it takes to fight for our Country. We have in our midst, in this very day, some of the finest, bravest, most selfless men and women. I am joyful because even as we lose our beloved World War II generation to age and as our brave Vietnam Veterans are moving forward in time, I have to say that their very large boots are being filled with very capable feet!
The only thing I have yet to reconcile about this day in my own heart is, how can I ever say “thank you” enough? It’s uttered with sincere thanks and gratitude. The words still feel flat to me in comparison to the sacrifice.
All I know to do is to say it, mean it, and live my life in the way it is intended to be lived; cherishing my freedom without taking it for granted. I think saying “thank you” is best justified by living a grateful life.
