Celebrating Veterans

 November 11 (yesterday) was Veteran's Day. It's the day set aside each year for us to recognize and remember those who served in the military. And came home to their families. Memorial Day in May is when we remember those who gave their lives while serving. There's a good reason to keep these events on different days. Lump everyone together, and something gets lost in the sentiment.

My dad, my husband, my son all served in the Air Force. My sister, brother in-law, niece, and father in-law served in the Army. One of my uncles served in the Air Force. Two nephews in-law served in the Army and Marines, respectively. Another niece currently serves in the Coast Guard. I have great respect for our military personnel. And I am so thankful I can celebrate their service in November rather than remember them in May. 

If you have a chance to chat with an older veteran, you should. These folks can tell you things you won't read about in history books. Many bring back photos of themselves and buddies from foreign lands. Many have kept silent about the horrors they experienced. But most of them want to talk about those times. They want to remember friends who didn't come home. They want to remember friends they lost touch with over the years. They want to release the emotions that soldiers tend to keep deep inside. And they want (need) to do this, just as we all do. Just offering them the chance can mean so much. You don't need to comment or offer opinions. You just need to listen. Let them vent, let them cry, let them shout out their frustrations. Unless you've been where they have been, you may not be able to relate fully, but just being there is very often enough.

There Is No Honor

Today's world is a tumultuous place. That's not new. It's just a different kind of tumult from ages past. Living in this current time has shown me many things. I'm still learning, but here is something I've learned in my time on this earth:

There is no honor.

The definition of honor is "high respect; great esteem". And this quality is seriously lacking in the current times. Children don't honor their parents. Parents don't honor each other. And it seems there is no honor towards God, our Creator, any more. I chose those three examples in particular because I truly believe this is where the failure begins - in the home, and in the heart.

I was raised to respect my elders, and I did my best to instill this in my own children. We don't talk rudely to them. We don't treat them badly or abuse them. We honor them. If you ever took the time to sit and talk with an older adult, particularly those over the age of 70, there's a wealth of information and history just waiting to be discovered. They can tell us so much about times past; how life was lived, what it took to survive or succeed, how people got along (or didn't), new discoveries and inventions.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to live through the Great Depression or a World War? Would your imagination even come close to the reality? How much family and personal history is hidden in their memories that you could learn from? If I had the sense to when I was growing up, I could have learned from my paternal great-grandmother what it was like to cross this country in a wagon. Or even what the reactions were to the first automobiles! The one thing I do remember about her was that she lived alone after she was widowed until she was 98 years old, and still baked her own bread. How much she could have told me about, and I wasn't smart enough to ask!

These days, our elderly are abused and neglected. When it becomes necessary (or inconvenient), we place them in nursing homes, and many never see or hear from their family again. We forget we will some day be that elderly person ourselves.

Even before we reach those "golden years", our children don't know what it is to respect their parents. From an early age, sometimes beginning in the preschool years, children begin to harden their hearts and refuse to listen or follow instructions. To a point, this is normal. But bad behavior should be corrected and not allowed to become bad habits. Our children should never be allowed to talk back. We should teach them how to have conversations and disagree without hateful and hurtful words from us or them. It's a two-way thing, not just a parent "bossing" a child. And there's a difference between beating a child and spanking a child.

Our children should also never be allowed to physically abuse us or their siblings. Or any other living creature, for that matter. Many times, this behavior is learned from watching a parent abuse another person. Is that really what you want your child to learn from you? I know I never did. But this is what we see all over. Teens recording videos of others beating up someone - adult and other teens. They should be helping to stop this, not laughing and encouraging it. But there is no regard for others. There is only the moment's anger or gratification. And this will perpetuate violent behavior from one generation to the next.

It is my firm belief that this lack of honor and respect comes from not having any honor for God, our Creator. I know many people who are atheist, non-theist, and "former Christians", and they all say their lack of faith in any God can be attributed to the lack of honor that so-called Christians show in their own lives. Do we really not see that our behavior and words are more responsible for turning people away from God than anything? If we lived what we said we believe, our influence would be more positive and productive to those around us. That positive influence would, in turn, make a HUGE difference in how people treated one another.

The bottom line is that it begins with us, not the other guy. As believers in Christ, we need to "walk the talk". We need to live as Christ wants us to. Love should be our biggest and most obvious attribute. We shouldn't be walking around and shouting how we hate this person or that one. We shouldn't be shouting at the world all the time, and complaining. After all, we are children of the King! We have so much to look forward to, and we should be doing everything we can to encourage, not DIScourage others! If we make a change within our own hearts, that change will spread to others. Maybe not to everyone, but even one soul makes a difference. And we should never, ever forget that.

Be Strong, and Have Courage

Here it is April 2020. For the first time in 112 years, the United States, and the World, is being held hostage by fear of a germ, the SARS-CoV-2, or CoVid-19 for short.

Don't get me wrong, we should be concerned about the current pandemic. We should be practicing the best hygiene we possibly can. Wash those hands. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Stay home when you're running a fever. Clean your house and get rid of the stuff you no longer need or want. But we should be doing that anyway. It's common sense.

What we shouldn't be doing is panicking. And hoarding. After all, God is still on His throne and knows exactly what the outcome is before things even happen. He's probably hoping we'll learn something useful during the hard times. Like enjoying time with your family, learning how to communicate with your children (or parents). To go back a few generations and learn how to be self-sustaining isn't a bad idea, either. Grow some vegetables, sew an article of clothing, make a small quilt, learn how to make soap. Read a book. Sit outside on your porch or patio and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It's much cleaner out there lately. Have you noticed?

We are all being inconvenienced in one way or another. That's life in general, and virus or no, it will remain so. Instead of wasting time complaining about what you have no control over, embrace what you have, enjoy what's around you, and for goodness' sake, SMILE! A smile never hurt anyone and is known to be almost as contagious as laughter. Now, that's a pandemic I can really enjoy!

The fact is, politicians and conspiracy theories won't fix things. They can do what they feel is in the "best interest" of the population, but they can't make this thing go away. We simply have to muddle through it. If you are unhappy with how they're doing things, there's an election coming up - vote them out of office. Fire them, and put someone else in their seats.

Complaining about people going to the stores without masks or gloves on won't fix this. If you're that concerned, do all of your shopping online and don't go out of your house. Those carts and baskets might well need a wipe down. But those items you're bringing home have been handled by several people during their time in the store. Your mail is handled by several people, for that matter. And all those packages you do order online will have been handled by multiple people.

Fact is, even CoVid-19 has a limited lifespan outside a host. Scientists aren't quite sure how long that lifespan is. Depending on the surface, it is only a couple of hours to potentially a few days. But disinfecting surfaces can shorten that lifespan. (Like I said before, clean your house and get rid of things you don't want/need!). I use a bleach and water solution to disinfect.

In the end, things will settle down. Life will have a slightly new normal, but it will resume. When it does, the next ongoing worry will be paying all those bills that were postponed while you were unable to work. They didn't go away, they were just delayed. But you will get through that, too.

In the mean time, be strong and have courage. Pray for and support each other. Don't waste your time and energy with anger and complaining.