memorial day

As I write this blog post, it is Memorial Day...

I stayed away from the news and hoopla today...not because I didn't want to honor our veterans, but because I needed to have the quiet to focus...to remember...

there are so many differing views out there...there always have been...and everyone has their justifications as to why they are right and someone else is wrong...

we can make a list a mile long on all the differences...from politics to families to finances to reality shows...it sometimes seems as though everyone has something they need to voice...

today I realized that those men and women...the ones that stand on the front lines...the ones that protect my freedom to think and voice any opinion that comes into my brain...the ones that put their bodies in danger...that risk their futures for the sake of mine...

those men and women may not agree with my viewpoints either but it doesn't stop them defending me or my freedoms to have those viewpoints...they could look at my choices or my blog posts or my parenting style or whatever...and they could disagree...

but, that doesn't take them away from the duty...the duty of protecting my freedom to have those opinions...they don't pick and choose who they will protect...they just do it...

and I am so, incredibly thankful...so, amazingly undeserving and yet, very, very grateful!!!

they do it so that we can have families like the ones you see in this post...

where children don't fear for their lives but are loved by parents that are raising them to be men of integrity...

where kids are free to grow up to be whatever they want to be...

where smiles and laughter massively outweigh tears and sorrow...

I loved meeting up with this family again this past fall because they do not take for granted the freedoms we have been given here...and they do that by cherishing the moment they have and taking the opportunities that they are given to instill in their boys a love of family and others...

Hope you'll enjoy!