Yesterday was Veteran's Day. It was also Day 11 of my November Gratitude Project. With all the anger and fuss spreading like wildfire about the recent election and my social feeds being plastered with this or that about Trump being elected for president, I wanted to combine the two.
I posted this photo on my Facebook wall accompanied with this...
Day 11: I'm thankful for the men and women who fight for and protect our country, then and now, including my Grandpa. He passed away 20 years ago...a few months shy of celebrating 50 years of marriage with my Grammy.
My Grandpa was college-aged when he served our country. I know he kept a lot of war stories stories to himself, but what he did share were the stories of kinship, the hunger, the cold, the exhaustion, and the fear of not knowing if you were going to make it another day. He survived. A lot of his war brothers did not.
Back then, they didn't have "safe places" on college campuses for kids to piss and moan about who was elected, pummel tubs of Play-dough, sip out of juice boxes, and have their asses powdered. No. College-aged men, like my Grandpa, were fighting wars and protecting our country. The woman were at home, taking care of the kids, keeping the home fires burning, and surviving on bare minimum.
There was no such thing as self-entitlement or awards doled out for simply "showing up." People worked their asses to the bone for a roof over their heads, food on the table, clothes on their back, and a second-hand car to get to and from work. And, they took pride in the work they did. Their family's survival depended on it. Nothing was handed to them on a silver platter. Ever.
Both my Grandpa and Grammy were honorable people. I learned a lot from them. Work hard for and be happy with what you have. Save money. Embrace frugality. Take care of the stuff you have. Take care of your loved ones. More so, they taught me to love and respect my neighbors even if their opinion varies from mine. Be kind. Be grateful. Share.
Quite frankly, I'm disgusted at what I've seen and continue to see. Hate. Violent protests. People stomping on and burning flags. Seriously? None of that is part of the solution. It's part of the problem. And, you're disrespecting the millions of men and women who have been in the front lines. Who have lost their lives to protect us. And, who continue to fight and make sacrifices for YOU. Your freedom. Your safety. And, everything between.
In this day and age, more than ever, we need to listen to and remember the stories our grandparents and great-grandparents shared with us. I hold on tight to those stories and the values I inherited from them. I raise my glass with love, gratitude and respect...to honor them and the thousands of others.
*raises glass*
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