Thank You To All American Servicemen (women) and families

THANK YOU... 

It’s been one of those up and down days. In remembering 9/11, there is a lot of emotions around it.

Sadness – for those lives lost on that tragic day. There was so much chaos and confusion, just in the media as it was being reported, let alone for those there that experienced it. Pictures of people watching in horror, people walking around in a daze. Sadness for an innocence that we never should have had in my opinion. The thought that no one would be so bold as to attack us on our own lands. When you are the best country in the world, you should always expect (just like in all of our sports games and how we view any type of competition or ranking. There is always some underdog waiting to knock the reigning champ off of the throne.

Anger – I’ll admit I was angry. I remember thinking, “How dare they?!?” There was sooo much anger that a lot of it was misdirected. I really don’t want to elaborate on this a whole lot other than I know there were things that were not handled (sometimes still not) as we would hope.

Pride – in the weeks that followed the attacks there was a HUGE sense of pride that overflowed in our country. We were proud to be American. We were proud to be the ones that said, “Yeah, you hurt us and hurt us big, but it’s not going to surprise us again. We’ll rise up and we’ll be better when we do. And when we do, look out, we will strike back…” At that time, we were exactly what our country’s name was, the UNITED States of America.

I was reading in a post by a great friend of mine today. She said some of the things that I have been thinking over the past few years, especially around election time. I am very disappointed with how easily we have slinked back into the “they wouldn’t dare…” attitude. I have many friends and their families that are putting their lives on the line every day for me so I won’t worry “as much”. I say “as much” because I know that I will never EVER forget where I was that day, what I was doing or who I was with during those times. But there are those that have forgotten and only remember when it is brought up in conversation or on the anniversary of the attack.

Now, I know it’s not good to dwell on the past. I’ve seen what happens in that scenario and I am not saying that we need to wallow in what we have lost or even let it get us down. But what you should do, every day, regardless of whether or not you believe in the causes that they are fighting for/against, is be thankful to each and every service man (woman) for what they do for you EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES. They protect us far away and as close as next door. ARMY, NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINE, COAST GUARD, NATIONAL GUARD, FIREMAN, POLICE MAN… The list goes on. People that put their lives on the line with each job they do.

So that being said, I want all my service friends/families to know that every time I see someone in one of those uniforms, I smile at them. I say hello and sometimes, when it feels like they either need a pick-me-up or a reminder, I tell them “Thank you for what you do for me and my family.” Maybe you could take time out sometime to do the same?

I am grateful to not just my friends but for all of those who serve, who defend, who gave their lives (the ultimate sacrifice) for me to live mine.