Thank a Soldier Lately?

Lately, I've been seeing posts from a few FB friends that are serving our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. It gives me pause to take a moment to be thankful for their courage. The friends of our youth that make us proud of the men and women they've become. Recently, I stayed in a hotel and I was hoping to catch up on my traveled laundry there. How nice that the hotel only had one working washer and dryer at the time. Several people showed up at the same time to use the one washer and dryer and it just became a huge frustration for all of us. As we waited we saw the man in front of us pull out his military fatigues to place in the washer. My husband and I struck up a conversation with the gentleman. He was stationed in Texas far from his two little girls that he hadn't seen in awhile. He told us that he was grateful that his ex-wife spoke of him frequently to his 5 and 3 year old girls and that gave him peace while he was away. He was staying in the hotel with a few other military personnel until further notice. I grabbed my bags and toted them back to my room and realized that getting the laundry done that night for me wasn't as necessary anymore. A FB friend recently posted pictures of him raising the American flag where he was stationed in Afghanistan in honor of his little girl's second birthday back home. The other morning I lit a candle for our soldiers. In that candle I hoped for good will toward them and their families, safety, and peace. Somewhere in the world is a soldier thinking of home and the least we can do is thank them from home also. "Being a soldier, fighting for this country, is neither Republican or Democrat."- Max Cleland