Thankful

We have so much to be thankful for as a country and as individuals.

On this Veterans Day, I am reminded of all the benefits and opportunities we have today because of those who have served their country in the past and because of those currently serving.  Benefits such as freedom to worship and opportunities such as owning your own land and education.  For most of us that’s all we’ve ever known and we take it for granted.

In our younger years, CountryBoy and I had the privilege to travel to Honduras and Nicaragua several times on mission trips.  We built churches in several primitive areas where entire families, and sometimes even several generations, all lived in a house the size of some of our storage sheds with no electricity, no running water, not even an indoor toilet.

Often, they ate one meal a day and were grateful for it.

They smiled even though they had very little.

Those trips made a lasting impression on us to be thankful for all we have, to be aware of why we have the opportunities we have today and to never take them for granted.

So today, as I sit on a comfortable couch in a house that has electricity, running water, with a hot cup of coffee in my hand and a fire in the fireplace to keep me warm I am thankful for all the men and women who fought for what we have today and are still fighting so we can maintain the lifestyles we have become accustomed to.

Words cannot express our gratitude but

THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!

May we NEVER take all we have for granted and may we ALWAYS remember and thank our Veterans for their sacrifice and their service.