Everyday Thanks

Dedicating a day to honor soldiers and veterans is important for traditions and ceremonies and for reminding us that we should be honoring them everyday, not just one day.

Following my parents' example, I go out of my way, sometimes foolishly, to thank a uniformed man or woman for their service, for protecting my country, for protecting my family, my daughter, our freedom. The smile (and sometimes tears) that they respond with soars well above any insecurity or awkwardness I might have felt approaching them.

So today and everyday as we sip our coffee or fetch the paper, let's quietly thank the men and women who have served our country so that when we pass them on the street or stand behind them in the grocery store line, we are prepared to thank them out loud.

Splurge of Thanks

Visit this site to find a charitable organization to support. Today, Charity Navigator is highlighting top performing charities that support veterans, such as Fisher House, which offers housing at military bases around the world to families whose loved one has been injured or hospitalized; and Freedom Alliance, which awards educational scholarships to children whose parents were killed or permanently disabled in service

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