Hallmark Hall of Fame movies make my heart melt every single time. The announcement of my night wrapped in a blanket crying and tissues next to me goes something like this.
My phone rings and it’s my mother on the line.
“There’s gonna be a good Hallmark movie on tonight. It’s gonna be a tear jerker.” My mom informs me.
“Oh yeah, why?” I ask her (as if they all don’t make me cry like a baby).
“It’s the story of a woman who waits at the train station every Valentine’s Day for the past sixty-five years waiting for her husband to return from World War II, but he never comes home.”
So, a few hours later I turn on the TV to watch what I know will turn out sad, happy, and totally thought provoking. It never fails.
Hallmark delivered again. “The Lost Valentine” was wonderfully done and the acting by the eighty-nine year old Betty White was inspiring.
This love story centered on World War II made me think of our heroes and our service men and women of today. Do we show enough respect for our soldiers? I am not so sure we do. I can only speak for myself, but I can personally do better.
I am a diligent person by nature. Every night I say my prayers and in them I pray for the soldiers at war and hope they are safe. I donate, drop money in boxes with slots, and I hand out dollars to the homeless holding up signs that read, “Former US Vet.” Maybe I’m a sucker, but I do it anyway.
I’m the daughter and grand-daughter of war veterans. I certainly respect anyone that serves our beautiful country. But, it saddens me that I don’t see more active support. Men and women are coming home with physical and mental wounds. Some are damaged for life. Many are protesting that the government doesn’t pay them enough or help them after they return from war.
Some soldiers are held captive by the demons that attack their minds and find there way into their lives, yet the government can’t help free our former heroes from this horror. All too often this is a battle they must fight alone.
The fight doesn’t end just because they come home.
It’s not just about the war and the efforts that are or aren’t being put into motion for the soldiers, it’s about brotherhood. Have we lost it?
As a country I feel like we only come together when there’s devastating loss, tragedy, or for Super Bowl Sunday. This is clearly not good enough.
Two weeks ago I was coming home from a fun filled vacation. While I was in the airport US soldiers were being happily greeted by their loving family members. Nobody around me could muster up the words, “Thank You.”
I went up to the young man and looked him right in the eyes and said with heartfelt appreciation, “Welcome home and thanks for all you do.”
It’s the least I could do. But, clearly on that night I was the only stranger wearing my red, white, and blue heart on my sleeve.
“United we stand, divided we fall…” feels more like divided we stand, divided we fall, united we screw up our brotherly bond.
The compassion to help mankind comes from within and starts at home. Don’t be afraid to get involved in the lives of others. Be afraid to NOT make a difference.
Let’s pitch in and give to the men and women that serve for our rights. Let’s start with each other. Simple tasks will make bold statements and maybe, just maybe, we can all serve our country in some way, without leaving it all on the shoulders and minds of soldiers in uniform.
First, we must serve each other. And, in the words of President Obama, “We can do better!”
