One evening late after work an insurance agent, a doctor, and a lawyer were sitting at the local watering hole talking about their week. The date happens to be December 24th 2011, in less than an hour Christmas would be here. The air is surprisingly warm for this time of year, but the rain has kept the skies grey. A somber mood is in the air.
Looking from the outside, one sees three well dressed, fit clean cut individuals. They sit around, tired after a long day’s work, they small talk until their food is ready.
The first one begins to eat the beef stew, while the other two enjoy the vegetable lasagna. They laugh at the humorous moments of the last 6 months and discuss the good memories they have shared. The conversation turns a little dim as they talk about how business had kept them away from their families so much this year. They discuss spending more time with their families next year, as a resolution they will do they chores and things they don’t like, just to spend time with their children and wife. They talk back and forth of how they know why they are working, they must provide for their families.
They talk about how it could be worse, they could live in a place like Iraq or Afghanistan where women and children are beaten and abused. No life isn’t so bad, at least no where they we raised. They are from a town just west of a city, a decent city really, big enough for pro football and basketball teams.
The mood turns brighter as they laugh about the dangers of city living and Christmas shopping. How who in their right mind would go out and shop, on the day after Thanksgiving and risk getting trampled for a toy.
As the evening goes on, a tear forms in an eye. The other two look at him and instantly know why. Today he is working instead of being home, home with his newborn daughter. You see his daughter was born this morning. He hopes to see her soon. Her first night of life she will go to sleep on Christmas Eve without her father. Tomorrow she will wake up to full stockings hung, but no father will be there.
The other two reach over and give him a nudge, and then tip up the canteens they have been drinking from. As they raise up their canteens and drink together, they all smile because they are working on Christmas Eve, not to make it home to their families.
Many might not understand how these three can be happy while away on Christmas Eve, but to them it’s a choice they volunteered for. These three men are Soldiers in the National Guard. They chose to fight for the freedoms the love. It’s your neighbor that been gone, your doctor, your lawyer, your insurance agent. Tonight they celebrate the job that they do, and smile at the opportunities that are made.
Yes I am a Soldier in the Indiana National Guard. I am not posting this for recognition or rep, I am posting this because it came to mind. I am not a writer and I am sure there are plenty of errors, however it is how I feel right now.
Celebrate the men and women overseas, give them recognition yes, but possible more importantly, recognize the husbands and wives and children they leave behind while doing their duty.
I volunteered for service because it is something I wanted to do, you can thank me if you want, but my kids and my wife also made a sacrifice. Do you know someone who has a loved one deployed? Maybe buy them a dinner or take them to lunch. While away (I was not deployed) the only thing I cared about was to know my family was loved for and taken care of.
Looking from the outside, one sees three well dressed, fit clean cut individuals. They sit around, tired after a long day’s work, they small talk until their food is ready.
The first one begins to eat the beef stew, while the other two enjoy the vegetable lasagna. They laugh at the humorous moments of the last 6 months and discuss the good memories they have shared. The conversation turns a little dim as they talk about how business had kept them away from their families so much this year. They discuss spending more time with their families next year, as a resolution they will do they chores and things they don’t like, just to spend time with their children and wife. They talk back and forth of how they know why they are working, they must provide for their families.
They talk about how it could be worse, they could live in a place like Iraq or Afghanistan where women and children are beaten and abused. No life isn’t so bad, at least no where they we raised. They are from a town just west of a city, a decent city really, big enough for pro football and basketball teams.
The mood turns brighter as they laugh about the dangers of city living and Christmas shopping. How who in their right mind would go out and shop, on the day after Thanksgiving and risk getting trampled for a toy.
As the evening goes on, a tear forms in an eye. The other two look at him and instantly know why. Today he is working instead of being home, home with his newborn daughter. You see his daughter was born this morning. He hopes to see her soon. Her first night of life she will go to sleep on Christmas Eve without her father. Tomorrow she will wake up to full stockings hung, but no father will be there.
The other two reach over and give him a nudge, and then tip up the canteens they have been drinking from. As they raise up their canteens and drink together, they all smile because they are working on Christmas Eve, not to make it home to their families.
Many might not understand how these three can be happy while away on Christmas Eve, but to them it’s a choice they volunteered for. These three men are Soldiers in the National Guard. They chose to fight for the freedoms the love. It’s your neighbor that been gone, your doctor, your lawyer, your insurance agent. Tonight they celebrate the job that they do, and smile at the opportunities that are made.
Yes I am a Soldier in the Indiana National Guard. I am not posting this for recognition or rep, I am posting this because it came to mind. I am not a writer and I am sure there are plenty of errors, however it is how I feel right now.
Celebrate the men and women overseas, give them recognition yes, but possible more importantly, recognize the husbands and wives and children they leave behind while doing their duty.
I volunteered for service because it is something I wanted to do, you can thank me if you want, but my kids and my wife also made a sacrifice. Do you know someone who has a loved one deployed? Maybe buy them a dinner or take them to lunch. While away (I was not deployed) the only thing I cared about was to know my family was loved for and taken care of.
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