A Tribute to our Veterans

 Positive Pensées

Kathy King

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

Joseph Campbell

A Tribute to a Veteran

A veteran, a warrior with a servant’s heart. 

A protector, an attendant to a greater cause. 

A cause that understands that it is not just about self. 

A knowing that they are all part of something larger than self. 

A mindset of knowing that one day they may have to be brave. 

When all around them rage and have much to say.

Much to say about the cause of liberty. 

Some mock it, some spit on the very flag that has the blood of warriors in which we cleave.

The principles this country was founded on so that we could be free. 

Some know this with every beat of their heart. 

They have seen battle, they have known loss and it has broken their heart. 

When times are difficult and they have to answer the call. 

They go forth for the cause of freedom and liberty for all. 

A veteran is a person who sometimes is forgotten.

Their sacrifice, their time away from family, is not even in most people’s periphery. 

Ask yourself, if the time came where you were called to serve, could you do it?

The sacrifice, the long stints away from the comfort of American life. 

It is quite a tall order for that kind of sacrifice. 

Could you charge into the fray when the enemy's guns are blaring?

The drums of war beat even as we speak, the world is in a bit of chaos. 

There may be a time we have a need. 

To have that lion hearted warrior leave all that he or she knows and face the daunting idea of battle, that is true bravery that shows. 

Thank a veteran, tell them that you appreciate their willingness to sacrifice. So that you, the American citizen, can enjoy peace without great fear of sacrifice. 

Our family has a “whole camp full of soldiers” in the words of Lydia Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. You are probably thinking, “What is this lady talking about?” Pride and Prejudice was a book written quite a long time ago by Jane Austen. It was set in England. The young girls were entranced by all the red coats that they encountered in their little village.  I can hear my son now…  “Mom, why are you talking about English soldiers?”.....  But I digress. I wrote all of this to share that yes, many of my children (5 to be exact) chose to enter into the military and serve the United States of America. To be quite honest, it can be a lot on a Mama’s heart to know that the only thing that you can do for your child thousands of miles away is pray.. It is a bit much at times. I pray each and every day for all of our men and women who have served or are still serving. If you are not familiar, they raise their right hand and vow to protect this country against all enemies foreign and domestic. They give an oath and end it with, “So help me God.” That is a true and weighty statement. To know this as a mother makes me proud, scared, honored, etc..  I feel the same sentiment about those who have gone before. If you have never read the book “Band of Brothers” or actually watched the series. I highly recommend doing so. That was selfless sacrifice. There are other books as well that come to mind about other soldiers who have served in more modern times that I have read. Each time I finish one of these books,  I can’t help but think, could I do that? I am not sure if I could. That is why I ask that each of us say a prayer of thanks for our veterans. They well and truly deserve it. I leave you all with this quote: “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to do what is right.” Peter Marshall