Fellow Patriots,
As we arrive to Thanksgiving eve, I wanted to give thanks to some more of our professionals who serve while others enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving meal and time with family. While we relax with family and food, fires still burn, cars still wreck, hospitals still save lives, police still protect parades, and ambulances remain on call. Water still flows from our faucets and electricity keeps the lights on. These are all people making things happen to give us the resources and safety we expect yet often forget, right? Someone else is serving on the front line to keep us a functioning society on a day of Thanks. Often times these same professionals give up a day off to go serve food at senior centers and homeless food lines. Something I realized years ago, serving is not about the pay or glamour. It's often a calling one feels inside and by serving it meets a desired human need internally.
During the year our nation recognizes many holidays for individuals who serve. And, as I tell folks, the honor was in serving the people of this great nation. As with veterans of many supporting roles and services, most will tell you the hard part is the thoughts of those we lost. Those who fell in the line of duty. Regardless of supporting service, it is heart wrenching to lose a brother or sister in the line of duty. Fire, police, emergency services or the military. A life is a life who belongs to someone. A mother, father, sister or brother. A husband or parent. The person is never returning home. They died serving each of us. I'm thankful for each professional serving us 24 x 7.
An important part of our home is that both Ms. Lucy and I believe in giving and recognizing those serving us daily. A few years ago Ms. Lucy started a tradition at our home over Thanksgiving. She spends a few hours on Thanksgiving eve or morning and gathers our grandchildren around the table. Together, they build something called "Blessing" baskets for our local police fire, and
ambulance services serving Thanksgiving and every day. Together, they place lots of goodies in the baskets along with cards of thanks from our family while Ms. Lucy explains the importance of serving and giving back to the community. We schedule a time that we can take the grandchildren and deliver the baskets to each supporting service. The children will carry the baskets to the professionals greeting them and then thank them for their service. Of course the kids always get a tour of the fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances. Oh, and they get to sample all the nuts, cookies, and pretzels while building the baskets.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday for many reasons. Being thankful for everything that got us to this point. Thankful for everything today. And, thankful to those around me who make every day most important. Thinking of those who lost their life serving others who will not enjoy another Thanksgiving here on earth. Remembering the families who lost loved ones serving us. Thinking of the many foreigners abroad who I shared the story of Thanksgiving in America with and seeing the excitement and glassy eyes of their dream to someday come to America. Things may be good, bad, or indifferent, but our America is what we make of it, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Years ago America was just a dream. Today, America remains a dream. A place where many non-Americans would be thankful to be.
Blessings,
Bravo Echo Out
