We DO Remember: Veteran's Day 2009

I was at the grocery store last night and while in the check-out line I spotted a small sign selling little “Thanks” pins in honor of Veteran’s Day. The pin cost $1 and all of the proceeds went to benefit the Minnesota Veteran’s Association. So naturally I purchased one. Whether it’s donating a $1 to help an animal shelter, contribute to a local food shelf, or support our Veteran’s I almost always oblige. I mean c’mon, it’s a dollar. Who can’t afford to add one dollar to their grocery bill when you’re at the check-out counter?

Anyway, after I told the lady I would like to purchase one, she proceeded to open her drawer, flip through some papers and then press her call button and turn her flashing light on to indicate that assistance was needed in aisle 7. Immediately I started to get irritated. I mean, have so little people really bought these pins that this woman doesn’t even know where they are? I began to think of all of our troops, both active and retired, and how sad it was that more people didn’t support then. I mean seriously, Veteran’s Day is more than just a time to take advantage of great sales.

As the manager approached the clerk turned and said, “I need more ‘Thanks’ pins, I’m all out.” OH…talk about a foot in mouth moment! Super glad I had kept my mouth shut…

But that did make me start to think. Why was I assuming the worst? Just because I see the anti-war people on the street corners every Friday on my way home from work doesn’t mean that everyone thinks like them. In fact, I would even venture to say that the majority of Americans, regardless of their political affiliations, support our military personnel and their families. So this Veteran’s Day, I for one am going to choose to see the supporters, and join with them in honoring our military tomorrow, Nov. 11. And I invite all of you to do the same!

I’m very proud of the members of my family who have served, or are serving. Both Matt and I’s grandfathers served in either WWII or the Korean War. My Uncle Mike served in Desert Storm and my cousin Josh served in Afghanistan. My cousin Joseph is currently in Italy, awaiting deployment to Afghanistan. Also, my brother James is in the Army Reserves, my brother Weston is in the Air National Guard and my new brother-in-law Phil is an officer in the Air Force.

So let’s all remember to honor our veterans, thank our troops tomorrow, and show them that we DO remember.

I just wanted to leave you with a beautiful video tribute to Josh from his mom, Janice. This past Sunday, Janice had the opportunity to speak at church about Josh and also sing the song Heaven was Needing a Hero. It was such a beautiful performance by a very brave and strong lady. Also, it was great to hear her talk about Josh’s faith. When I was in Italy last year I got to speak to some of Josh’s comrades about their relationship with God. One of them told me how amazed he was to see our family’s strong commitment to the Lord, and how he wanted that for himself. And how one day, Josh had gone off by himself and spent the whole day praying and reading God’s words. For those brave, tough, army guys, that was quite out of the ordinary. It’s amazing to see the impact that his faith had on those men.

One more thing, there's a cool video that we did at the City of Eden Prairie a few years ago for Veteran's day. It's really neat if you have time to watch it.