Today we honor those that served our country...

Happy Veterans Day!

Today, as we should be everyday, we are thankful for the soldiers that fight our wars and defend our country. Even if we don't always agree with the wars we are fighting, we should always support our troops. They and their families give so much...some of them ultimately give their lives for our country. They definitely deserve our respect and support every day of the year!

My grandfather is a veteran of World War II, and he had an amazing journey, albeit not one he was thrilled to be on, in Europe during his extended deployment. My grandmom was left with a baby on the way living with her in laws...not the most pleasant of experiences..at the time my great grandmother was dying of cancer. Unfortunately my grandfather was denied a leave even to come home to bury his mother. One of his comrades heard about his mother's passing before he even did, and broke the news to him.


While my grandfather was away, my grandparents bought their farm, and my grandmom began a lonely, but busy time working on the farm and raising her eldest son while hoping and praying for her husbands return. Some of her brothers joined her in farm work, her sister in law came to live with her. She handled it all with their help! My grandmother is one of the sweetest woman I know considering the work load she has had and continues to have as a wife of a farmer.



The sacrifices our soldiers make to protect our freedoms and our country's safety know no bounds. Their commitment is steadfast and tremendous.

Each November of every year for the past several, I have rounded my kids together to write letters of support and draw "special" pictures for soldiers. We send these along with other little gifts and essentials that they may be needing. The holidays are a particularly hard time for our soldiers to be away from their loved ones, and these little "care" packages mean so much to our soldiers.

Two years ago when our package was received that year, the solider asked if Michael could be so kind as to send an email to his child that was particularly having a hard time with him being gone to give his son some encouragement. It was a rewarding experience.

Most years we have chosen a soldier from this website unless we are aware of a soldier through family and friends. http://anysoldier.com/

This website allows you to pick a unit or person that might most be in need of things and lists things that they are in need of so you know the items you'll send will be of value to them. Even if you send correspondence or a card of support, it can mean the world to them!

This year, I am letting the boys pick from the list of soldiers of who they want to support. It is always a hard decision to make because you wish you could personally support all of them considering what they are doing for us!! It just doesn't seem right to only pick one!

So on this day of remembering our veterans, please say a little prayer for those soldiers that are still in harms way serving their country with the utmost unselfishness. Today as with each passing day, I salute those who have served and those that continue to serve.

So if you feel inclined, please chose a soldier and send a care package. They will be so happy to hear of your support, and it will be a huge moral booster in a difficult and stressful time. It takes so little to make them so happy, and the lessons your children will learn can be invaluable.