A Dose of Perspective

The news here has been flooded with talks and videos and pictures of the Navy Seals that were killed in Afghanistan over the weekend.

I'm not big on the political scene. I think that there is a ton of room for improvement in all areas of our government. It shouldn't just be about getting the votes, it should be about doing what's right, morally and ethically for our country. But that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

Yet today, I just can't imagine how the hole that those 30 lives have left, not only to their families, but to our country. To a certain extent I think that we have forgotten the devastation that our country felt on September 11th. I think that we have forgotten the men and women who put their names, and let's face it, often their lives on the line so that you can stand in line at Starbucks instead of having a drill Sargent yell at you. They gave their life so that you might have that privilege. Makes that $4 cup of coffee suddenly a whole lot more expensive.

The youngest cousin of John's, due to some road blocks had to forgo his plans of becoming a police officer. He had decided that he was going to join the Navy and train to become a seal. Frankly, I was terrified. Their job is dangerous. Very dangerous. They have tons of training to prepare them, but it's still scary to the family waiting at home for them. So when he decided to join the coast guard, because as he put it "God didn't make me to kill people, but to save them". Knowing Matt the way that I do, I agree completely. I couldn't imagine him taking another person's life, no matter what the situation was.

So today, instead of complaining about how hot it is, and how my air conditioner struggles to keep up, how tired I am, how big my problems are. I'm going to think of those 30 Americans. I'm going to think of their families as they try to put their lives back together. I'm going to think of the tables that will have an empty chair at dinner. I'm going to think about the families who have lost a son, a father, a husband, a friend, and I'm going to be thankful that they are so very willing to step up and give the ultimate sacrifice so that my life can be what it is today.