This morning on the 236th birthday of our country, I sit in the quiet of my home and reflect on those things that are very precious to me.
Fot whatever reason I have been blessed to be born in this country and like most of us I take so much of the opportunities I have been given for granted.
Too many in this country have become complacent over the years and have a Polly-Anna attitude that nothing can happen to this great country; but their wrong.
With complacency comes a false sense of security, and we are anything but secure.
This week I discovered that my paternal great grandfather, Valentine Weinheimer, a German immigrant who came to America as a child with his parents, was a veteran of the Civil War. He fought at the the battle of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. My children, and the first 4 of our grandchildren, lived two hours from that site and I never knew. According to the newspaper clipping I found of his obituary, it states that he "immedidately enlisted when the conflict arose" and "was among those who fired the first shots" for freedom. To my great grandfather I say thank you.
Mark and I are blessed with two sons-in-law who are career Army. Our eldest, Virgil, has served almost 20 years and will be retiring soon. He has served this country in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and a second tour in Afghanistan. Our youngest, Mark, has served in Iraq and will be deploying to Afghanistan this fall. Most of us will not know the hardships nor horrors that these men have faced or will face but my heart is full of pride and gratitude for their courage and valor.
I am also humbled by our daughter's who are left behind as these men serve; to raise families on their own. They have done remarkable jobs! Although I know what it is like to be a military wife, I never had to say good bye to my husband as he went off to war and have to face the reality that he may not come home. Once again, my heart is filled with pride and gratitude for their own courage and valor.
As Americans we must all find ways to serve this great country of ours and protect the rights that so many have died for that we might live in a free land.
We must all find that courage and valor within ourselves to stand up for what is right and not be afraid to speak out for fear of offending or not being politically correct.
This country has never been as close as we are right now in losing those rights, and it is up to us to stand up and not be afraid so that our grandchildren and their children's children will know what it is to be an American.
Today I recommit and ask my family and friends to do the same and repeat with me...
When my time comes I refuse to stand before my Heavenly Father and look into His eyes and the eyes of those who sacrificed all that I might be free and have to say I stood by and did nothing to keep our country free.
I do not have to be enlisted in the military to serve but I do have to be enlisted in those causes that assist in keeping us free.
God bless our families,
and
God bless America!
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