Memorial Day, a day to honor and remember all those who have served and/or are serving in our military. It's a good and right thing to do. Our military personnel, past and present, deserve our thanks and appreciation.
I always think back during this holiday and the others that are for honoring our heroes and our country; 4th of July, Flag Day, Veterans Day...
Our family has been in this country for a very long time. We go back to before the Revolutionary War on both my mother's and my father's side of the family. My father's mother was a card carrying member of the D.A.R....Daughters of the American Revolution. His family is supposed to have come over on the Mayflower. I haven't researched it so I don't know if it's true. My mother's mother applied to the D.A.R. and was accepted...two ancestors fought in the Revolution and one was a POW. She decided not to join because the women in that chapter were all snobs. Does anyone care about all this? Probably not. But I do.
I am a patriot at heart. I'm proud of my family and the military tradition of so many of our relatives. We have family members who served during WWI, WWII, The Viet Nam Conflict, Kosovo/Bosnia, and the current situation in Iraq/Afghanistan in additon to the Revolution. I am proud of them and their dedication to the USA and freedom. They all volunteered. Paul's family also has many who have served in the military, some of them for life.
I often wish there was something practical that I could do to honor their service, besides attending parades and applauding when the different services go by. I feel it's important to do this, and I have taught my children and grandchildren to do the same. We also salute the flag when it goes by, something that fewer and fewer people do...I don't think it's taught anymore. I even get very teary eyed during the National Anthem. (That's a bit embarrasing)
Paul and I decided that one thing we can do is to pay for their meal when we see a soldier or sailor when we go out to eat. So far, that's only happened in Wendy's and McDonald's but it's a great feeling and they are so appreciative. They thank us and say that we don't have to do that, and we thank them and say that they don't have to do what they do either. It's a very small way to express our appreciation.
On Friday, I took Adam to the doctor. Gavin and Maggie were with us. They were all so very good and I told them I would take them for a treat because they had behaved so well. We got our food and sat down to eat. A minute or two after we settled, a sailor came in for lunch. I went back over to they counter and waited until the girl told him the cost, and then said "I've got this" and handed her the cash. She was surprised, and he was too and said "You don't have to do that". I said that was true but I wanted to and he smiled and put his money away.
We chatted for a minute and he told me that he was a recruiter for the Navy, and that he was going to be at the Airshow that weekend. I told him that we had a lot of military service in our family and how much we appreciate our service people. I mentioned Army and Navy, Master Chiefs and a niece who was a helicopter mechanic, went to Sere School, and served in Kosovo. He was surprised and said "You really do know about it, don't you?" I replied that I knew a bit. He thanked me again and we said goodbye, shook hands, and I wished him luck and "God bless you"; he's headed over to Afghanistan when his tour of recruiting is finished in a few weeks.
It's not much, but it's a nice thing to do. And I get to talk to interesting people that I otherwise would never have met. I will probably never meet them again, this side of heaven, but I'm glad to have made their aquaintance, if only for a few minutes. Try it sometime. I bet you'll like it and it will make you smile. You might even feel good for the rest of the day. I did. :0}
I always think back during this holiday and the others that are for honoring our heroes and our country; 4th of July, Flag Day, Veterans Day...
Our family has been in this country for a very long time. We go back to before the Revolutionary War on both my mother's and my father's side of the family. My father's mother was a card carrying member of the D.A.R....Daughters of the American Revolution. His family is supposed to have come over on the Mayflower. I haven't researched it so I don't know if it's true. My mother's mother applied to the D.A.R. and was accepted...two ancestors fought in the Revolution and one was a POW. She decided not to join because the women in that chapter were all snobs. Does anyone care about all this? Probably not. But I do.
I am a patriot at heart. I'm proud of my family and the military tradition of so many of our relatives. We have family members who served during WWI, WWII, The Viet Nam Conflict, Kosovo/Bosnia, and the current situation in Iraq/Afghanistan in additon to the Revolution. I am proud of them and their dedication to the USA and freedom. They all volunteered. Paul's family also has many who have served in the military, some of them for life.
I often wish there was something practical that I could do to honor their service, besides attending parades and applauding when the different services go by. I feel it's important to do this, and I have taught my children and grandchildren to do the same. We also salute the flag when it goes by, something that fewer and fewer people do...I don't think it's taught anymore. I even get very teary eyed during the National Anthem. (That's a bit embarrasing)
Paul and I decided that one thing we can do is to pay for their meal when we see a soldier or sailor when we go out to eat. So far, that's only happened in Wendy's and McDonald's but it's a great feeling and they are so appreciative. They thank us and say that we don't have to do that, and we thank them and say that they don't have to do what they do either. It's a very small way to express our appreciation.
On Friday, I took Adam to the doctor. Gavin and Maggie were with us. They were all so very good and I told them I would take them for a treat because they had behaved so well. We got our food and sat down to eat. A minute or two after we settled, a sailor came in for lunch. I went back over to they counter and waited until the girl told him the cost, and then said "I've got this" and handed her the cash. She was surprised, and he was too and said "You don't have to do that". I said that was true but I wanted to and he smiled and put his money away.
We chatted for a minute and he told me that he was a recruiter for the Navy, and that he was going to be at the Airshow that weekend. I told him that we had a lot of military service in our family and how much we appreciate our service people. I mentioned Army and Navy, Master Chiefs and a niece who was a helicopter mechanic, went to Sere School, and served in Kosovo. He was surprised and said "You really do know about it, don't you?" I replied that I knew a bit. He thanked me again and we said goodbye, shook hands, and I wished him luck and "God bless you"; he's headed over to Afghanistan when his tour of recruiting is finished in a few weeks.
It's not much, but it's a nice thing to do. And I get to talk to interesting people that I otherwise would never have met. I will probably never meet them again, this side of heaven, but I'm glad to have made their aquaintance, if only for a few minutes. Try it sometime. I bet you'll like it and it will make you smile. You might even feel good for the rest of the day. I did. :0}
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