Honor and Grief

Thank you, to all the veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much for us.

My earliest memory connected with Veterans' Day is of the ladies in our small town who without fail sold paper poppies around Veterans' Day and Memorial Day.

 My grandfather, who was of the generation that was needed on the farm during WWI and too old to fight in WWII, always purchased a poppy when he went to town during the times they were being sold. I remember dusting the floor in his bedroom and always seeing several on his dresser. My father was a decorated veteran of World War II who seldom would talk of his experiences except with other veterans of the same era. My nephew recently returned from Afghanistan. As much as I value their service, I also honor the families who have sacrificed so much to enable their loved ones to serve.

[The photo above is one many that can be found at http://www.elpaso.net/~bank/ thanks to several small-town, very dedicated historians.]

Postscript:  It's been a perfect Veterans' Day--the sky gray with grief all day.  November is a difficult month for me because so many people who have been incredibly important in my life have departed this life for the next one during Novembers.  I'm hoping I'll be back on an emotionally stable footing for Thanksgiving, one of my most favorite celebrations.