Those Who Serve(d)

Where I grew up, I was surrounded by those serving in the American Armed Forces.  All branches, in fact.  Because of that -- and the various military bases we drove through frequently in Panama -- I still get nostalgic whenever I'm on a military facility (or anything that resembles one) now that I'm Stateside.

Despite that, the truth is that I have been sort of detached from those who serve or who have served in the Armed Forces.  I guess I never really realized what a sacrifice is being made (by those serving as well as their families) -- and I took for granted the things those servicemen and women were serving for.  I didn't realize (or maybe I just didn't want to realize) the horrors some of them experience.  The danger.  The fear.  The sadness they witness.  I can remember how it actually hurt me when I finally realized that my younger brother -- who served in the Air Force for several years and was sent to Iraq for a time -- had witnessed and experienced truly terrifying and sad things.  How I ached for him as I felt like he had lost some of his innocence.  I'm not exactly sure why, but even up to that point, I wanted to protect him from those things.  Even though we were adults, he was my "little" brother. 

That experience, among other things, helped me realize more of what these men and women are doing every day so that I can enjoy all that I enjoy.  And I do still take it for granted, you know...  The fact that I am so free.  I don't even know all the ways I'm free, because they always have been a part of my life.  I say that, because until I heard someone speak in church about his own experience in another country (he was there as an exchange student of sorts), it never occurred to me that there are some people who can't even leave their village without permission from the authorities -- while meanwhile I can fly across the country and not notify anyone at all.  And this is because we have people who serve to protect my freedom to do so. 

So I feel like this is sort of disjointed.  But it's just the thoughts floating in my head.  I need to do better at remembering how precious my freedoms are.  And how precious are those who fight for them.  Because freedom isn't free.

What are you grateful for today?