Thankful Mail

On this Thanksgiving Day I am lucky enough to be with my family. We are all healthy and happy. There are many service members who are far from their family, whether they are deployed protecting our freedom, or recovering from an injury in one of the many hospitals and rehab facilities.

Children at Janesville Elementry are always excited to know their work has ended up in the hands of a service member, as they are closely related to super heroes (according to one little girl). This year several teachers coordinated letters and artwork for Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving. I have asked a wonderful and strong wife of a wounded Marine to take the student's appreciation to the San Diego hospital and deliver them on my behalf. 

Seeing the hard work and the great pictures these students made for services members brings happiness to my heart. Every time I see one of the children, they want to know all about who got their artwork and letters, and if they like them. I hope I'll have some pictures to share with them soon. I hope to share the smiles they have brought to our Wounded Warriors. 

Remember... Their Sacrifice. Our Freedom.

 

Thanksgiving Hope

I have been thinking a lot over the last six months about Hope and Thankfulness.  The economy, politics, and life in general has thrown some vicious curve balls my way over the last two years. November is a symbolic month for reflection and thankfulness, or at least it is for me. It is also the beginning of the holiday season to celebrate family, friends, and life.

I have lost most of the people I love to cancer, so the holiday's for me are a time of nostalgia, memories, and hope.

Hope and Thanksgiving go hand in hand; for the people who have the most hope, are by nature the most thankful.  The people who have endured the biggest challenges, who have lost the most, they are the people who know how to be thankful for the simple things.

In a time of the "Give It To Me" generation, coupled with the Constitution being trampled on an hourly basis hope may seem futile. As much as there is cause for fear, there is still hope.

Hope that a leader will emerge who can turn our Country around.
Hope that the young will learn to take responsibility for their actions.
Hope that American's will take pride in themselves, in their Country by using their purchasing power, their representatives to demand change.

History has many valuable lessons. The most important lessons are, work hard, do the right thing, even when it's hard, and be thankful.

I am Thankful for many people, events, and experiences (good and bad) throughout my life. As much as I miss those who are no longer with me, I am grateful for the time I spent and the memories I have to hold onto.