Day 116 Question 116:

What is something that undoubtedly always makes you cry?

It is almost inevitable that whenever I see a video or hear a story about a parent returning home from serving in the military overseas and surprising their families I will end up being one big ball of sappiness.  The water works will be in full effect!

I am a supporter of peace over war but that does not mean that I do not have the greatest respect for the military.  The individuals that serve in all branches of the military have such a great pride in their country that they are willing to put their lives on the line in order to protect our freedom as a nation.  That is way beyond admirable to me.  I do not believe fighting solves anything but I do understand it.  I have never been strong enough physically or mentally to even consider making the military part of my life.  I find it so noble that a man or a woman is willing to leave their families and travel to some of the most unsafe places in the world to fight in a war in order for the people of their country to stay safe.  These people have such strong beliefs and convictions and even though I may not be able to relate or able to completely understand….I have such an unbelievable amount of respect.  These people are not harming others just for pure pleasure or killing just to kill (which happens every day on our own soil by your average everyday Joe).  These people enter the military for many reasons and I doubt that many of those reasons would be selfish.  Even if a person were to enter the military in order to get their college education paid for, I do not find that to be a selfish deed.  Bettering oneself, in my opinion, is never selfish.

I wanted to share videos of military homecomings because although they always make me cry like a baby, they completely touch my heart and they allow me to remember the people that are so important to me.  My parents have season tickets to a local theatre (The Alabama Theatre) and I have gone to the show with them a few times.  At the end of every show they always play the song God Bless America and they ask all previous and current military members to stand up.  I looked around the room and saw men and women in their 70’s and 80’s stand up and immediately the tears started to form in my eyes.  To love where you live so much and to be willing to fight for the people of your country (friends, family and strangers alike) and to risk  your life day in and day out is beyond admirable to me.  It is selfless…for most not all.  Not all people will have the best motives but a great deal will and I choose to give people the benefit of the doubt before assuming they are only doing something for selfish reasons.  Seeing the good before the bad has made this world a much more pleasant place for me.

To my readers, I would really love to hear your stories about your military experiences or the experiences of your children.  If you have lost any loved ones in a time of war, I send you so much love and I believe that even though your heart may ache, you feel such an overwhelming sense of pride.  Please send me your stories because every day I ache to get a bigger perspective on life and want to remember what is truly important.  I hope you enjoy the videos.  :0)

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