O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life... O beautiful for patriots dream that sees beyond the years thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears..." - Bates

I went to a Veteran's Day service earlier today. And it was beautiful and touching.

And I'm reminded of how amazing our freedom is. And how lucky I am that I enjoy this.

In fact, I don't just enjoy my freedom- I take it for granted.

I never think from day to day about having the basic rights.

I just assume that they are my rights.

I don't give a second thought to what to eat, where to go, whether to go back to school, whether to keep my job, move my residence...these are things that are solely my decision.

But for a lot of people in the world, they don't have the basic freedom to make these choices.

And I forget that. And I take the rights that were won for me at a great price and forget what precious treasures they really are.

At the service, a wife of one of the service men made a thought-provoking comment.

"You know, we forget that we are at war. Its like our military is at war,but our country is not."

And I happen to think she is right. And that breaks my heart a little.

I'm not going to get political. I'm not going to share my opinions on the war, the military, and the decisions being made.

But I will say (especially after living in a community 20 miles from a military base for 3 years)

that whether I AGREE with the war or not, there is a war. And therefore, I owe what support I can give to our military. That whether we agree with the decisions being made, we owe our support and love and gratitude to the men and women being ordered to carry out those decisions.

So today, I just want to say that I am so thankful that there are people who can see beyond themselves and serve our country (even when they might agree with what they are fighting for.) I am thankful for the people who value the whole more than the part, even when the part forgets what debt is owed to them.

I am thankful for those who gave up pieces of their freedom and life to secure mine.