** Yep, this is late... Apparently my computer ate this post, which was scheduled to post on Veteran's Day... opps!
Growing up, I did not take much stock or celebration of Veteran's Day. Despite, the stories I had heard of my Dad in Vietnam, Veteran's Day meant nothing more than a day off school and then as I grew older, a day off work. It isn't that I didn't appreciate my freedoms or that I didn't understand the sacrifices of the men and women who served and lost their lives for them... I just didn't have any first-hand experience with it....
Fast forward 10 years, 4 children and 5 deployments later..... these photos say it all......
Freedom is not free... Freedom is living in a tent, tin can or fox hole, eating meals that hardly resemble food...
Freedom is missing the birth of your new baby, the first birthday, the first day of school, Christmas, Easter and everything in between, meanwhile missing your family like crazy. Freedom means long distance phone calls and waiting in long lines to have 20 minutes to see/talk to your loved ones. Skype and Yahoo Messenger become your best friends.
Freedom is being scared on the inside, but being brave on the outside - Working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in less than comfortable locations and positions. It is risking your life for the good of the millions of people counting on you to protect their freedoms.
I am fortunate (but saddened) enough to live and work in a place where I see the cost of freedom everyday - in the smiles and tears of the children I work with and their families. I see the stress of single - parenting and fear of losing loved ones on the faces of the spouses left behind. I have lived in the face of such fear and paid my own price of freedom, as I have watched my husband wave goodbye to head to some area of unrest. I am no longer naive to the importance of this day. I understand that freedom is not free.... I hope you do too.
Make sure to thank a veteran (or any solider) for the sacrifices they have made and continue to make for your freedoms... because freedom is truly not free!
Happy Veteran's Day to all the military families I know and love! (and those I don't too!)
This was really touching to read !! Thank you for writing it !
Hugs! Marielle
Posted by: Marielle | November 15, 2010 at 03:30 PM
What a beautiful post Trish! It does help bring it home, I think, to those who haven't experienced it. I think neither of us ever expected to be in the position of experiencing this first hand. Patti
Posted by: Patti | January 13, 2011 at 08:15 PM