Thank you!

Today is Veteran's Day and those two words in the title just doesn't seem like enough. Men and women past and present chose to dedicate their life to serving our country in a multitude of ways. Some serve in administrative ways, others served by providing daily needs for others and others on frontline combat service.  But all of them left loved ones behind when they needed to train or serve in places where families could not go.  How is one thank you on one day enough?

I come from a military family.  Both of my grandfathers served...one in the Navy and one in the Coast Guard. My dad was Air Force and Air Force Reserve and my brother was Coast Guard. I had great-uncles that served in the forces and know that one was lost in WWII. While my family never moved from the MS Gulf Coast, I recognized that life was different for military families as I had many friends that came and went based on parents' transfers to new duty stations. And my dad was away from us at times...and I remember it being different to not have him around. I remember the excitement on the days when we knew he would be coming home! I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to move around...or worse yet, not have my dad come home. But those are facts of life for those that serve...and their families, too.

So how are two words "Thank You" enough? It's a simple acknowledgement...but one that I am sure is appreciated. So THANK YOU to all who have served! Thank you for giving your time and your energy to protect my freedom, to ensure that when I got up this morning, I had the ability to choose where I went for coffee, where I went to work and how I got there.  Thank you for the times that you missed your loved ones...those times that you really wanted to be there for a special occasion or the daily activities with your families. And to those families of our veterans, thank you too! You endured periods of time without seeing them...and sometimes without hearing from them.

Dad, thank you for your service! I am proud to be your daughter! And to my brother, though he may never read this, thank you too for serving!