A Hug from home - Veterans Day 2011

As I was putting my daughter to sleep the other night she told me that at her afterschool dance class she tripped and fell into a nearby wall and hit her head. It was one of those moments where only a mommy can make you feel better. One of the other mom’s came over to see if she was ok, but it wasn’t me, she ran outside of the classroom to cry so no one would see her break down.

 I was working and wasn’t there to hug her and hold her and wipe her tears away.

As I was feeling sorry for myself and my daughter I began to think about all of the mothers and fathers, and all of the sons and daughters who are all over the world putting their lives in peril. Those who are moms and dads are very far away from their children. They aren’t able to give their love and comfort to a bonked head, a bad grade or hurt feelings from some mean girls.

For those whose sons and daughters are over there, no matter how brave he or she may be, once in awhile there is a strong yearning that only a mothers embrace can fill.

We talk about our war veterans but the truth is that we are so far removed from the front lines. We go about our business and unless we have a friend or a family member who is serving in the military we can forget about the sacrifice that many of these men and women and their families are making. 

After giving birth to a boy I am convinced that war is definitely a man-made idea. I watch how he and his friends play turning everything into a gun, make shooting noises and play out long imagined battlefield games. I watch him and pray that these games never become real for him and hope that he never has to know a real life battlefield.As long as our men and women are at war every day really should be Veterans Day. We need to honor them, remember them and find ways to connect to what they are doing for our everyday lives.

I promise, if all the rest of you will, to try to honor, remember and do something for a veteran in the next two weeks, I will too. I’m including links of possibilities that can inspire all of us:

 Host a screening for The Welcome

http://www.thewelcomethemovie.com/

Listen to NPR’s intense and haunting story about Dark horse battalion. The marine unit that suffered the highest number of casualties during the 10-year war.

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/05/142061223/darkhorse-battalion-and-the-afghan-war

Donate your wedding gown to military brides.

http://www.nammas.org/events/brides-across-america-operation-wedding-gown-event

To all of you Veterans, thank you for your service and for being modern day heroes for the rest of us.