Earth Sign Mama Writes: Veteran's Day

Monday, November 11, 2013

Veteran's Day

This has always been an important holiday for me. When I was a child, I just thought every one's dad was a veteran. I didn't realize until I was an adult that there were people who hadn't served in the military in WWII or during Korea. My dad and all of my uncles, and several people that qualified as honorary uncles were all veterans. So, it was just an assumption that kids make.

Interestingly, even though so many men I knew had served their country, it wasn't the main feature of their lives when I knew them. They were teachers, or farmers, or business men. Nearly all were also husbands and fathers. I knew some from church, some from school, and some as neighbors. So, when I got married, and my husband was in the Navy, it was just a normal part of life. His identity was also husband and father. He thought of himself as a "biker in the Navy" instead of a "sailor with a motorcycle." But, I know he came from a family of veterans, too. Even his step-mother is a veteran, along with his brothers and father and several uncles. It was a deliberate choice for them, and him, and was undertaken as a responsibility of citizenship.

So, today, I want to honor veterans and illustrate that they are people who have many hats, not just the one from Uncle Sam. When you're going about the rest of the day, week, month and year, you could be encountering veterans in many areas of your life---not just on this special day, when we single them out for our gratitude. Don't forget to be quietly grateful everyday, because each day of our routine lives is afforded us by others who are part of those Armed Forces.Their service provides the freedom to just think about them once a year.