I just realized I'm not really giving 30 days of thanks because I'm not blogging on weekends. Oh well. I do digress...
Anyway, today I'm thankful for all those who have put their life on the lines for our freedom, those who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces.
Now, I'm in no way a staunch supporter of wars. I'm totally into peace, but I know there is a time and place to fight for our rights and the rights of those who cannot stand up for themselves, and I know that freedom comes at a cost and I appreciate those who are brave enough to stand up for those freedoms.
I would never have the balls to go into the military. I don't think I'd survive basic training let alone actually have what it takes to go to the front lines of a war torn country. I know people who have been and come back, those who have lost friends and family and even if they don't lose a life, some sacrifice has always been made, whether it be to mind, body, or spirit.
So, men and women of our armed forces, thank you. I'm grateful that you have the courage to stand up and fight for my freedoms.
I think sometimes it's easy to forget that. Freedom isn't free. I'm not a proponent of war, but I also am not naive to the fact that certain battles have allowed us certain freedoms. A necessary evil, if you will.
And the people that fight those battles, whether they're behind the scenes or in the trenches have all sacrificed for us. They've sacrificed their families, their bodies, some of them their souls, their lives.
No matter if I agree with the fight at hand or not, I always feel for, appreciate and respect those out there serving, taking risks to protect the freedoms we've become so accustomed to having. not only them, but their spouses, their children, their parents, because they've sacrificed too.
I've seen firsthand a soldier's battle scars, both physical and emotional. I would never for an instant step into their shoes, to do what they've done, to see what they've seen.
It takes a certain type of person to do battle for others. It takes valor, selflessness, and conviction to put yourself out there, to risk your life for even the tiniest shred of freedom.
Thank a veteran today.
Let's choose today's scribbles in honor of veterans Day.
Song of the week: Man, it took me like an hour to find the right song. I like this one. Dear Avery by the Decemberists. Colin Meloy, the singer told spin magazine that this track is about the Iraq War and how parents are affected when their children are shipped off to battle. "I imagine it being a letter sent from a mother to a solider," he said. "I was reading a lot about soldiers and the war and their parents back home — having a kid myself, it just made me really mindful of that relationship."
Netflix of the week: Again, a hard pick, but Saving Private Ryan kind of encapsulates not only what soldiers have to do, but the grief of those they leave behind.
book of the Week: I'm going to pick A Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen. Had a debate about this book awhile back. A sad but very real story about war and what it can do to the mind and soul.
Quotes of the Week:
"Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." -Michel de Montaigne
"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." -Cynthia Ozick
