Thank You!

As a nation, our thoughts and prayers today and everyday are with our service men and women who are serving the world over to protect our freedoms at home. I want to thank my Navy daughter who served her country with honor and distinction, not only on the high seas, but also in Iraq. Her mother and I are some of the lucky ones whose sons and daughters came home to a hero’s welcome.

As parents, our hearts go out to the families who were not so fortunate. Their children gave the ultimate sacrifice for the concept of freedom for all. It has been this way down through the ages because the fight for human dignity and freedom remains the goal of every peace loving country.

I, for one, wish peace could prevail around the globe, but there are others who try and dominate the world through fear, torture and death. As long as these tyrants exist, we, as a freedom loving people, must stand and be counted among the nations that will resist until the tyranny is vanquished.

Today, as we honor our fallen soldiers, let us pray also for our wounded ones as well. These young combatants are dealing with all manner of terrible injuries. Sometimes the scars are not visible, but they are there just the same. There are horrible psychological wounds that disable just as surely as bullets or shrapnel. The road to recovery is a long and painful journey and we need to support each and every one toward a full recovery.

For those still fighting the good fight, I pray you all return home safe and sound. America can never repay the services our fighting men and women have performed throughout our history to make the world a safer place to live. We can only thank them from the bottom of our hearts….

Write on,

Mittster

Memorial Day 2011

A friend sent me the most amazing patriotic art painted on a car that I have ever seen. I will let the painting talk for me and shut up for once. Have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend!

What is Memorial Day?

While paying tribute to my daughter, who is a veteran, for her sacrifices and service, I am also so very thankful for her safe return from harm's way in Iraq.

Today is the day we honor the fallen heroes who made the supreme sacrifice for their country. I also honor the families and loved ones of those heroes. Their grief is unimaginable and I could only guess at what my grief would be had one of the fallen been my daughter.

I also think today should be a celebration of the spirit and determination of all our returning veterans who are struggling daily to put their lives back in order after witnessing the horrors of war. It is not an easy journey for those who were wounded physically, emotionally or both. I salute each and every one of you for your courage, fortitude, strength and integrity.

No one can ever know how proud I am as a father, but more importantly as a fellow American who owes a huge debt of gratitude to our men and women in the military. I love each and every one of you!

Write on,

Mittster

In The Day

I really like the History Channel show, "American Pickers." It's hard to believe that we are living in the 21st century, yet there are people all over the world that still cling to old stuff in barns, garages and basements.

Why is that?

Well, first of all, keepers of old stuff are usually seniors. As a senior myself, I too have old stuff in the shed and nic-nac cabinet. We long for the good old days when life was simple and uncomplicated. Like The Old Man in Pawn Stars puts it, "We like to think about in the day, because it makes us feel good."

In the day was about honesty, truthfulness, being law abiding, a day's work for a day's pay, In God We Trust, children, Christmas with handmade presents, Easter egg hunts, Memorial Day parades with the United States flag flying everywhere, Fourth of July picnics at the park, Labor Day swimming at the pond, and Thanksgiving dinner with family from all four corners of the country.

Greed in the day was stealing a few cookies, while they were cooling, from the kitchen window. You could maybe tell a little white lie once in a blue moon and still feel good about yourself. Partying was snitching a little bottle of tequila from the camp trailer that was used for summer vacation and waking up with a horrible hangover, which kept you from doing it again. Marriage was for a lifetime and making love was for after you got married. Being neighborly and generous was normal, and saying the word God in the Pledge of Allegiance was not embarrassing.

I guess it all boils down to one thing. The past is gone, but we can still respect one another and our planet. It's not too late to get our standards back up to where they were when our forefathers brought forth this great country. Let's practice the Golden Rule and live today like the In The Day.

Write on, brother, write on....

Mittster