I want to start this writing out with the gratitude I have for those who have paid the ultimate price, as well as all of their loved ones. Theirs are the sacrifices they have made for all of us that are lucky enough to live in the United States of America. Yes, we have all kinds of problems here in the homeland, but there isn’t a day I don’t wake up being thankful that I was born in this country. I know people that have become citizens. The pride they carry to be called an American is something profound, something so many of us take for granted. When we complain about the stress we have with jobs, families, and different situations that we all have done on a daily basis, me included, think about the stress these brave men and women face 24/7, far from home, far from loved ones, and fighting a barbaric enemy.
With all the wars we have been in one wonders when our brave ones are down and they know their end is near what are their last thoughts: God, Family, Country. Whatever it is, they bleed for us. They bleed for our freedom of speech, they bleed for our way of life, and they bleed for our Freedom.
So today, when you are at parades and cook outs, when you are with friends and family, take a moment to thank the courageous ones that have fallen in the past and the brave ones that fall today. Take a moment to hope that the loved ones that miss their brave soldiers every day, that they find some peace knowing that the ones they mourn had a life of purpose, bravery, and they went down fighting. Then go outside and take a deep, cleansing breath. That sweet smell is freedom, and may it live on and on.
Wildflower Perspectives 