Veteran's Day

Since this is Veteran's Day, even if only for a few more hours, I just thought I'd give a shout out to all of our veterans. For those of you who don't know much about my family, I have a lot of relatives who have served, or are serving in our military. First, my grandpa was a WWII veteran and received numerous life-threatening injuries during his duty. Actually, the fact that he even made it out alive is a miracle, one which I am extremely grateful for because if he hadn't, he would never have met and married my grandma, they would never have had any children, and those children would never have had any children, and I would not be here right now. Out of my 4 uncles, 3 of them served in our military. One uncle was stationed in Vietnam, another in Korea and another in the Gulf. My older brother Jeremy was in the army (but the farthest from he went was Panama City), but we still appreciate his service. My cousin Jonathon is currently in the Air Force and is stationed in Italy. And of course, my baby brother, Josh is serving in Baghdad. (I'm sure I have tons of super-extended relatives - like 2nd, 3rd, etc. cousins, as well as great-uncles and all that - who are also military men, but I don't know who.)

Anyway, I just think we should all spend some time reflecting on what they have done for us. So, take a moment right now to say thank you to our veterans.

I was just at a Bible Study earlier this evening and we were talking about persecuted Christians. I know that not everyone who reads this is a Christian. But I think that everyone appreciates the freedom we have to express our religion and not fear for the safety of ourselves and our families. There are so many things that we take for granted daily that we would not have if not for the men and women who serve our country and who will continue to do so to uphold the freedoms, rights, and privileges we enjoy today. (Side note: today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. So let's all pray for the Christians who have given their lives, freedom, and safety for the incredible God they serve.)

So, if you are a veteran. Or if you're the family member of a veteran. Or if you're the friend of a veteran. Or if you're the friend of a family member of a veteran (you all are - me!). Or if you live in this amazing country. Or if you're just grateful to our veterans. Please join me in saying "Thank You" to our courageous men and women, both past, present, and future.