Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day, and according to wikipedia Veterans Day has a unique history. Read the article for more information.

This morning while I was sitting at work, drinking my chai tea latte, wishing I was a morning person, wishing I had something to do today other than pay the bills and homework, I was also thinking about how lucky that I am, and that we as Americans are.

As I write this blog, there are thousands of women in the world that cannot enjoy the privledge of going to work each morning, and of wearing clothes that show any skin. There are still parts of the world where women are considered to be lower class citizens.

My grandfather joined the Navy the day after Pearl Harbor, I have a high school friend who is currently in the Air Force, and a childhood friend who joined after September 11th. Think of how different our lives might be had they not sacrificed themselves for us. For people that they didn't know, some that didn't appreciate and even some who thought that they were nuts. They sacrifieced themselves, so that our lives could be different. If that doesn't deserve some appreciation, then I don't know what does.

So today, in honor of our Veterans, thank them. Thank them for their time, for their service, for their sacrifices. Thank them for fighting to keep our country safe and free. Thank them for your job, your latte, your freedom.

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?" ~Eve Merriam

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. ~Chinese Proverb