Veteran's Day

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 33:12

As a teenager in the 1980’s, waking up first to get in the shower was very important. I had to beat my two sisters because I needed as much time as I could to get that ‘big hair’ look. Each morning when I would shuffle to the bathroom half asleep, I would see my father sitting at our kitchen table. In the early morning silence, he would be reading his Bible while finishing his cup of coffee. With my eyes only half open, I would kiss him good-bye. Lunch pail in hand, my Dad would walk out the front door, hang his American flag and head to work. My father is a former U.S. Marine. While growing up, each and every morning, my father flew that flag.

One day when it was raining, our elderly neighbor Sid, came over. As he headed across the street towards our house he had a small booklet ‘Flag Rules and Regulations’ in hand. He made sure to give my Dad an earful when he saw that in this steady drizzle, Dad had not taken down our flag. “George.” He said, pointing at his booklet. “You aren’t supposed to be flying that American flag in the rain.” Without a pause in the conversation, my father politely replied as he pointed to his flag, “Well Sid…I fought for that flag in the rain, so I am going to fly that flag in the rain.”

Today is Veteran’s Day. Go up to a Veteran and say, “Thank You.” Better yet, teach your children to walk up to someone in uniform and say , “Thank You.” Whether it is your father, grandfather, neighbor or friend, take a moment to offer up a prayer for all the men and women who have fought in the rain for you.