Happy Veterans Day 2010:
Take the Time to Thank a Vet Today!!
My Great Uncle Jack was a fascinating man. When I was young, all I knew about him was that he was great at hunting night crawlers. In fact, he taught me how to hunt them.
We lived in the apartment above my parents’ TV and appliance store and did not have much of a yard. Luckily, Uncle Jack lived only a few blocks away. And, he had a nice yard.
When it rained at night, we would walk down to his house with our flashlights and buckets. My Dad and Uncle Jack would help us kids hunt night crawlers so we could use them as bait when we went fishing.
There is actually a trick to getting your night crawler. You have to shine the light on them to find them while they are above the wet ground. But you have to be quick. Too much light scares them back into the ground. You have to remember where they are and grab them quickly yet gently. Then you have to slowly coax them out of the hole a little bit at a time. If you try to force them out, they break. Night crawlers and people are similar in this regard. If you force them down a path, eventually they are going to break.
I did not understand much about Uncle Jack until I was a young adult. He was a World War II Veteran and served under General George S. Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. Amazing. He was a World War II hero and I thought he was awesome because of his ability to catch night crawlers!
Uncle Jack and his family sacrificed when he served our country. As Americans, we must remember that our freedom is not free. Many men and women have died to provide us with the ability to live our lives the way in which we choose to do so. Taking our freedom for granted dishonors our troops and veterans. It also dishonors their families, who have sacrificed more than many of us can imagine. These people have truly sacrificed for all of us and our great nation. We must honor and salute them everyday. Because everyday we have the freedom to choose how we spend our time.
We must also fight to keep our freedom. Be wary of rules and regulations designed to limit your freedom of choice or action. I understand the need for some rules; however, I am always cautious of anyone trying to impose more regulations on our country. Most of the time, these rules and regulations seem to have plenty of “strings” attached to them as well as some sort of political angle. Following the money trail demonstrates that someone is winning while many of us are losing. We have a voice, and we have to use it.
Get out there and vote. Just make sure to read the fine print first! And, don’t believe everything you hear or read. That adage is one we all need to live by on a daily basis.
The bottom line: Cherish your freedom, protect it and use it to create your destiny!
Go out there and thank every Vet you see-today and everyday!! They have sacrificed to give you the freedom you enjoy daily!
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