To a Brave American Soldier:

To a Brave American Soldier:

Thank you so much for serving in our armed forces. You and your fellow soldiers make huge sacrifices so our country can be a better place to live. I’m a writer: words are my passion and I wouldn’t be able to speak and write so freely without your bravery.

Whenever I think of where you are, my heart goes out to you. I cannot imagine what it must be like to live with danger going on all around you. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your service to your country. Some of you are so young, leaving your homes to venture into foreign enemy territory. You do it, not because our country makes you do it, but because you want our country to be free.

Then I think of our married soldiers, leaving their wives and children to fight in these wars. This enemy is an aggressive group, who doesn’t care who they hurt. Your sacrifice keeps us all safe; I cannot thank you enough, and I hope and pray it will be over soon. Just remember you are not alone, God is watching over you.

Here's a little information about who I am. I live in rural Minnesota on a hobby farm where we raise sheep, one llama, ducks, geese, and chickens. Our grandson, Nicholas, eleven years old, and our granddaughter, Leah, who is eight, stay over for the summer. They love helping us care for the animals; they’ve already made them their pets. We have two German Shepherds named Louie and Bow. Louie is a sweetheart and Bow is really Big Bad Bow. He picks and chooses who he likes.

We also grow vegetables that we sell at the farmer’s market. Our grandchildren like to come with us to sell our products, and our customers get a kick out of it. Nicholas and Leah love going down the long aisles of tomatoes, the green foliage dotted with lots of red tomatoes makes for some pretty pictures we show at the market.  They love to help pick them off the vine and get them packed up.

The sheep graze nearby and can be seen from our house. With all this rain we've been having, our pastures have greened up. It makes for quite a picturesque setting with the white sheep grazing on the green pastures. Our llama is black and white and does silly things like lie on his back with his feet up in the air. Sometimes we call Bosco, his name, making sure he's alright. He doesn't say much, but he is very curious whenever something is going on. He's such a large animal who makes a soft sound like urrr, urrr to let us know he is watching. We love him for his silly antics, and he's great for watching over our sheep, keeping them safe from coyotes. He'll charge at anything unfamiliar to him, such as a wild animal. He's our watchdog in the pastures.

At the farmer’s market, we have a flag flying overhead. I see our freedoms in that flag that we all hold so dear; this is what you are fighting so bravely for. I look at it and wonder how much longer we’ll be fighting these foreign wars. I think I’m not alone when I say that we would like to have you and your fellow soldiers back home with your families again.

So, wherever you are stationed, you have my heartfelt gratitude for your sacrifice. Our flag is flying freely throughout the United States, because of you, and your fellow soldiers fighting so bravely for all of us. Take care now and we're praying you come home safely.

Sincerely Yours,



Jeannie S.