Today is an amazing day. We recognize the sacrifice and risk taken by those who have fought for
us, for our freedom, for our comfortable lives. I’m sure all of us have someone in our family that is either
currently serving or has served. I find
it incredible that so many in our nation take such pride in defending what we
believe in.
And I am SO thankful for it.
My grandfather, Charlie, served in WWII in the Marines. He never spoke of it to me or my
siblings.
We only knew he had seen things during that time that he didn’t want us to know about. Even after the war ended, after his service concluded, he was still fighting for us, keeping those terrible memories to himself to protect our tiny naïve minds from the horrors he witnessed while defending our country and helping to give us a good, happy, care-free life.
We only knew he had seen things during that time that he didn’t want us to know about. Even after the war ended, after his service concluded, he was still fighting for us, keeping those terrible memories to himself to protect our tiny naïve minds from the horrors he witnessed while defending our country and helping to give us a good, happy, care-free life.
One of my fondest memories of my grandfather, Pops, was how every time I'd see him I'd sing "Jesus Loves Me" to him and he'd give me a quarter. Then there was the Lava Monster game. My grandparents had this horrid mauve carpet (because it was the 80s and that was the thing, I guess)... but my brothers and cousins and I would pretend it was lava and lay a path of cushions down. The goal was to get through the living room without touching the lava... if you did, the lava monster (Pops) would grab you and tickle you until you peed yourself.
Then there were the trips to Myrtle Beach every year... Pops would put me on his shoulders and wade into the deep water, making sure the waves never crashed over my head. And the trips to Disney when the exhaustion would get the best of me and Pops would carry me for hours through the park.
I never saw Pops as a soldier, but I always saw him as my protector. And even now, though he's not with us anymore, I know he's still my guardian angel.
Then there were the trips to Myrtle Beach every year... Pops would put me on his shoulders and wade into the deep water, making sure the waves never crashed over my head. And the trips to Disney when the exhaustion would get the best of me and Pops would carry me for hours through the park.
I never saw Pops as a soldier, but I always saw him as my protector. And even now, though he's not with us anymore, I know he's still my guardian angel.
Find a vet… someone you know or don’t… and try to imagine
the things they’ve experienced in order to preserve our amazing lives… then
tell them “Thanks”.
They deserve it more than you’ll ever know.
Happy Veteran's Day!
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