paying tribute

today is memorial day. i'd like to pay tribute to both those who have served our country and those who are serving today.

most specifically...

this is my dad. he served our country in the army during the korean war and did it proudly. he had a new wife and a baby on the way, too. i can only imagine how difficult that had to have been for him... and for her. but like so many back in "the day" that's the way it was. serving your country was just something you did without making a lot of fuss about it. dad did it quietly, respectfully and never expected anything in return. i admire him so much for that and my heart is full of pride, today and always. thanks, dad!

this is my nephew, daniel. he is in the army serving our country. he was most recently deployed in afghanistan. daniel, too, had a new wife and baby. tough times, but service was in his blood and they knew the importance his skills would contribute to his unit. the place daniel ended up was brutal in its conditions and very dangerous, with lives lost on a continual basis. war today is high tech, ugly and indiscriminate. one day in kabul it targeted daniel, and although it slowed him down bringing him back to the states, it did not stop him. he will continue to serve our country because that's what he does... what he's meant to do. he's proud! he's army! i'm so very proud of you, daniel, for all you've done in your young life. thanks!

i'm grateful for daniel and for all the other men and women in uniform who are selflessly serving our country. those who have given their lives already and those who are standing right now for us, today, so that we can have freedom.

happy day.....