Veteran's Day November 12, 2008

I never know how to mark Veteran's Day. It makes me sad.

I always think of my dad and a postcard he sent his dad on June 14, 1949. It reads:

Dear Dad,
Arrived Guam today stay here for a day or two then our next stop is Manila. It sure is hot here. Hope you are well and will see you before you realize I have been away. I sure miss my girls. More later. Love to all.

I think about my tiny maternal grandmother. In her kitchen window hung a service banner… red with a white field and 4 blue stars… a reminder that all 4 of her sons served on active duty during WWII. She rarely knew where they were. There were no cell phones or internet then.

I have a service banner in my kitchen window with 1 blue star. It's for my grandson Chris. He's a Riverine, serving in Iraq. There are times I gaze out my kitchen window and wonder how he feels. Is he cold? Is he tired? Did he have MRE for dinner or something good?

This morning began with a message from my friend Martika, who said in honor of Veteran's Day she was thinking of Chris.

I spent the day with two old friends who arrived from Georgia yesterday. We laughed our way through a 2 hour lunch, remembering old times and the trouble we used to get into.

After lunch we went shopping. My friend Joe and I were ooohing and ahhing our way through Pier One, touching and feeling everything when a tall blond woman approached Joe.

"Sir, are you a veteran?" she asked.

"No ma'am, I'm not."

"Well," she said, "I never know exactly what to do about Veteran's Day so I thought I would just take a chance and if you were I would tell you I appreciate you."

Joe, who has known my Chris since he was a baby said, "My friend has a grandson in Iraq."

The woman put her arms around me and said, "Will you please tell your grandson how much I appreciate him? I will pray for his safety."

There, amidst the reed diffusers and sachets, Joan and I talked about all the military who serve in various places and how we hold out hope for their safety. I told her a little about Chris and his family and his wife who misses him so much. Again, we embraced and she went her way and I mine.

Tonight I am thinking about how much I appreciate her taking time to spend a moment with me. She served to remind me that no matter what is going on we live in the best country in the world with some very kind and thoughtful people.

So this Veteran's Day is for my grandson Chris. It's also for his wife, Nicole. They also serve who only stand and wait.