Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s Veterans Day and I spent a little more time than usual this morning praying for those special people who have sacrificed so much to serve me and my Country. It’s the kind of sacrifice that I can’t begin to fathom and it’s the kind of sacrifice that often goes unnoticed…except for once or twice a year, that is. Sometimes I think about the Biggest Sacrifice EVER made for you and for me and when I do, I realize that if most of the world doesn’t accept or appreciate THAT Sacrifice, how will they appreciate the sacrifice of time and life that our servicemen and women (and their families) give each and every day?

I gladly gave up my own life to raise my family and I’d be willing to die for any one of them today. I’d give up my life for my God too should I ever be asked to deny Him. But the thought of people being willing to give up their own lives for people they don’t even know? That thought overwhelms me every time I think about it. These days it must be difficult to make so many sacrifices for a country that doesn’t show them the respect they deserve. It must be difficult to be threatened with being removed from service because of choices they make for their health as they watch freedom quickly become a thing of the past. God bless them for still being willing to serve the greatest nation in the world even though they see it transform right before their very eyes to an unrecognizable world. If there’s ever been a time we need them, it’s now.

Not everyone who serves in our military is faced with the sacrifice of life (thank God) but they’re willing to if they have to…and they ALL make huge sacrifices for you and for me every single day. In their fight for our freedom, they surrender their own. They’re told when to show up, when to suit up, and when to shut up. They’re told what to wear and when to wear it and they know that what they wear better be perfect at all times. They are people of discipline and people of excellence and it shows. They’re told where to live and how long to live there. They’re told what to say and when to say it and to never question authority. They’re told what job they’ll be doing and they’re taught how to do it, and if they don’t particularly like what they do, they do it anyway without complaining instead of looking for a new job like you and me.
Most of our young enlisted men and women could easily make more money working at a retail store full-time than they do to serve our country 24/7. They’re told when they’ll have a day off and IF they’ll have a holiday off, and many of our servicemen and women spend the holidays alone more often than we care to think about. In spite of all of the sacrifices they make for you and for me, they PROUDLY serve America even when we don’t tell them or show them how much we appreciate the sacrifices they make for us.

My husband proudly served in the Marine Corps, and as they say, once a Marine, always a Marine. My father served in the United States Navy during WWII, my youngest son served in the United States Air Force to do his part in this War on Terror, and my son-in-law still proudly serves in the United States Air Force today. I’m not just thankful for their service…I’m humbled by all of the sacrifices made by them (and by their families) day after day for you and for me. I’m thankful for EVERY Veteran…those I know and love and those I’ll never meet! I don’t just thank them on Veterans Day and I don’t just pray for them on special days either. Every single one of them has my heart, my support, my gratitude, and my prayers every single day that I breathe.

How about you?

Thank you, Veterans!!!! May God bless you and your families and may God richly bless the United States of America.