"...in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day..."
 

This is not ‘Camaro-related’ per se –and perhaps this is the wrong thread, but today is a special day – and I felt it important to post this………….


It hasn’t been a pleasant time here in Detroit. All one has to do is open a newspaper or turn the TV or radio to a news station……

The economy is in turmoil…..and while the elections are over, we have a long way to ‘heal.’ (…..this is the most polarizing election I can ever remember…)

Long hours.
Short Tempers.
Everyone thinks they have a solution.
Not a lot of patience.

– It’s gonna be a long, cold, dark winter in the Motor City.

So there I was on Sunday – I’d gotten home from yet another long business trip….the flight was endlessly delayed …. Security at the gate emptied my briefcase and asked me 10 thousand questions.
(well……..ok, 9,965 questions…)
– The shuttle was late – traffic was tied up…….and I finally made it to ‘home, sweet home.’

…………..and I sat down in the sunroom and happened to turn on the Television to PBS…

……… and there was Ken Burns’ epic “The War”……….

……..and I watched….

…….and I wept…….

……………and I remembered the terrible price that people such as my Father and my uncles and my Grandfathers and millions of others paid………

………so I could complain about my inconvenience………..and I could sit in my warm home……in a free country ……with so many many blessings………….and I felt so ashamed for even thinking that what I’d been thru that day was ‘an inconvenience……’

We must – especially in these times – stop to remember that TODAY …is a very special day:

“…………in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”

It’s crucial that we NEVER FORGET what people have given up – and continue to give up -- for us to live with the freedoms we enjoy.

I don’t mean to minimize the pain that many are going thru as we watch our economy stumble – and people lose their jobs – and their homes – and their hopes.

But many of us – me included – need to remind ourselves of just how fortunate we are to live in these United States.

Is our Nation perfect?

No. There isn’t on this earth any ‘perfect’ place……

..but when we look back at how our Grandparents – and THEIR parents – and THEIR parents – and THEIR parents have lived – and what they experienced, we must realize – and never forget -- that we have the best standard of living the world has ever known.

Don’t believe me? Walk into any Supermarket or Drug Store – and tell me we don’t have unbelievable bounty.

Still don’t believe me? Go ask someone in their 80s or 90s what it was like to live thru the Depression or World War II…….and know that even then, their lives were easier than life 300 years ago………..

In the later years of my Grandmother’s life, she spoke of how difficult life could sometimes be in the early part of the 20th century….and yet she knew that she had a better life – and an easier life –even being a young widow from World War I – than her mother or her grandmother. She was thankful for everything. She knew serenity. And she was a happy soul.

How did we get this bounty?

……..by men and women giving of their lives so that we could enjoy freedom – and have the standard of living that we enjoy.

Our latest election shows that there is hope that any citizen, no matter what race or creed, can become one of the leaders of the free world. And yet that very fact is lost on so many ………

And so today, being “Veterans Day”—

--also known at one time as “Armistice Day” (…..it was in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month…)”

….it is so important that we stop to remember – and say a prayer for those who gave their lives - and those who gave of their lives……..

….and to say a prayer that those who are currently serving -- that they may return to us safely.

Please – pick up the phone and call – or send a note – to a Veteran you know.

Tell them ‘Thank you” for all they’ve done. (We can never thank them enough..)

Let them know that America cares.

When you see one of our men or women serving in the Armed Services, stop and thank them.

Freedom is not free.

We must never forget………..

Amen that

Well Said!

:respekt: Amen, and Thank You for reminding us....

:flag1:

Scott:

Amazing perspective in a troubled time. I wholeheartedly agree with this post. My Dad was in the Phillipines during World War II. He came back with a bullet in his leg. It was over 12 years later that it ws finally removed (the bullet, not the leg).

Later in his life he suffered from Malaria attacks and war related health issues. It tears my heart out to see how we as a Nation haven't learned (or remember) the lessons of the past.

Collectively, we as a Nation owe a great deal to those Brave Men and Women who served in the Military to preserve the Freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

I would also add, that during the extreme times of War such as we saw in WW I and WW II, our american Industries and Workers were there to support those efforts.

Regardless of your feelings towards Armed Conflict, we have all been blessed by the fruits of their efforts!

Thanks to all the Men and Women who Have Given so much so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have!

Very well stated, and a happy Veterans Day to all. :clap:

I think I will make my son read this, to realize Veterans Day is more than just a day off school.

Amen, you really are a great person for all you do and say, we are blessed to have such a wonderful person here oi=n the board

Amen, and thank you to your Family for protecting mine.

:flag1: That was beautiful, fbodfather.

:flag1: nicely put Fbodfather


to 13F20 and all the others overseas - come home safely!

...

What does that mean?

speechless.