Cookie for Your Life?

     I woke up this morning and awoke my kids for school with my sons and daughters able to get the same education. By choice I am a mother, a wife, and a student, freely able to decide what direction my education takes. Every Sunday I attend church. Not a church picked out by my government, but the one my family chose. We make multiple choices everyday for our life's direction, as well as choose who serves in our government. These are the privileges that Veterans have blessed me, my family, and my country with. These men and women devote their lives to ensure that we American's have these daily luxuries, that most of the time we overlook. 

    In wars throughout America's history, men and women in the United States Military have left their own families behind, and place their own lives in grave danger. Veterans stand, train, fight, kill, and die for our country and our freedom. They volunteer to be in a situation that most of us could not handle, let alone imagine. They live on the battlefield with next to nothing and get shot at, when a lot of American's panic without cable television. 

    Veterans offer the most ultimate act of love, they sacrifice themselves for us. A lot of people are not willing to sacrifice their own life for a loved one. Veterans do just that everyday for strangers. They do what needs to be done for the safety of our country. Veterans put their needs aside and make our country's needs their new priority. Yet they stand in the shadows. Yes we set aside a couple days per year to thank the veterans we run into, or the military that are at the parade. But did you thank the guy standing under the bridge holding the cardboard signs; a lot of them are veterans. Veterans are everywhere, yet many do not know that after everything they have done for our country a lot of our veterans starve, or are homeless. As a matter of fact about," 1/3 of the homeless are Veterans." According to the United Veterans Beacon House, "Most homeless Veterans are male and account for at least 60% of the nation's homeless men. More than 90%of the homeless Veteran's are high school graduates , a third have some college education."  Are they thanked? Veterans should not have to worry about where they lay their heads, after risking their lives to assure that we have a safe place to lay our heads.

     It frustrates me that on Veterans Day, the government does not shut everything and all schools down. This Veterans Day, my kids were out of school, yet I as a college student did have class. My son asked me," Mom, why are we out of school today?" I told him that it was Veterans Day, and we took off to remember and to thank the Veterans for their sacrifices. He then asked," Then why do you have school?"I thought it was a very good question. How am I to convey to my children the importance of stopping to honor those who give their lives, when our own government and school system doesn't? Sure they do a quick speech then it's back to work, with maybe some free cookies. I know these acts are "appreciated," but we need to think about the Veterans more than just on holidays, or when we are at war. We need to start treating every day as if it is Veterans Day, because every day we wake up with our freedom is a day that we need to thank a Vet!

Cat <3