Letter from Home

To a courageous member of our military forces,

I'm winding down from a long day, having had to work this Memorial Day to make up for a workday lost to snow. Throughout the day, however, my thoughts were not on "having" to work, but on how lucky I was to be born in this country. I want to thank you and the long line of military veterns who have allowed our citizens to enjoy the privilege of living in a democracy.

In my younger days, I truly had no real appreciation of the significance of this day. Of course, in those days, I didn't know you were supposed to check and change the oil in your car. The freedom generations of men and women fought to sustain allowed me to go through a good bit of my life naive and sheltered. I did not fear the State Police. I did not worry if or when I would have a nourishing meal. I could drink water out of the tap without any concerns of getting a disease or being infected by parasites. I was guaranteed the right to an education-- never believing it could be denied simply because I was a woman. My slumber was never disrupted by sounds of exploding bombs or machine guns. Never did it ever occur to me that anyone of my family might be dragged out of our home to prison or to a public execution. Now, of course, I realize the majority of the world's inhabitants can take none of these things for granted.

With great privilege also comes great responsibility. Thank you for your willingness to put your life on the line to insure the citizens of this country will continue to enjoy our freedom and liberties. Even the poorest of our citizens enjoys a standard of living beyond the dreams of the majority of people on Earth.

I wish you good health and a safe return to your family and friends. I can assure you even the youth of our nation are all too aware you and your buddies are our safeguards against the horror of terrorism and the rampant hatred in this world. I wish for a world in which we wouldn't need the best of our young people to be at risk for making the greatest of all sacrifices. Until that utopia exists, thank you for all you are doing.

Meg