gratitude: day 11

today i'm grateful for my freedom.

and i'm grateful for those who fought so i could be free and who are fighting so i can continue to be free.

i would never suggest that i know the answers for peace. my religious beliefs are such that peace will not come until after periods of war and unrest. lots of wars. fought on lots of different fronts for many different reasons. but there will be peace.

i'm grateful we can take one day to pause and remember those who fought for our freedoms...our lives...our families. and who continue to fight.

i remember as a senior in high school, i had the opportunity to sing in a veteran's day concert. as we sang patriotic hymns accompanied by a full orchestra, all veterans in the audience stood to be recognized. i remember tears swelling up in my eyes. at the time, i wasn't sure why. i think it was the first time i had really thought about the individuals who had sacrificed for me. then i thought about all those soldiers who weren't in the auditorium because they paid the ultimate sacrifice.
i remember interviewing my grandpa before he passed away. i was fascinated by the stories he told about his naval service in WWII. how they changed him. how they changed his family.

{cannon perry smith, wwii}

i remember exchanging letters with my uncle who served in the vietnam war. physically, he survived. but i think part of him died over there.

i can't completely understand it, but i'm grateful.

for all those veterans and current servicemen and women, i am grateful.