Armed Forces Day

Sue pointed out that it was Armed Forces Day.

I have a hard time keeping up with birthdays...everything else is just another day to keep track of.

But I think I'm changing my view of Armed Forces Day.

It takes someone special to join the Armed Forces. And it's not meant for everyone. I learned as a recruiter that while we do need people to join the military, we also need the ones who stay back and keep the world going so when the military folk come home, they have home waiting for them.

So it takes someone just as special to stay back and keep home safe and sound. I could never have done it. I had too much wanderlust. That and from the time I was 7 I remember being told I was going into the Air Force. But what grounds me is knowing that my family is there waiting and that when I do come home, it's to open arms.

And lo and behold 28 years later I'm two years away from retiring. and coming home to the world my family kept safe for me.

Armed Forces Day...

When I read Sue's email I cried. Good tears. And it made me think. What does Armed Forces Day mean to me? Do I want parades? Not really. Do I want the key to the city? Again, not really. A documentary made about me? Uh uh, no way. Money? Nobody ever joined the military to get rich.

I want what I got this morning. An email telling me that someone cares. A thought, a wish, a prayer, that's what I want.

And that's what I got.

So to all my sisters and brothers out there, know there are thoughts, wishes, and prayers heading your way. That no matter where you are, what you are doing, people care.

And we know we have a home waiting for us.

Thank you Sue.