Thank a soldier

There are those in society that do not believe in the war that we are fighting. They stand up and protest anything that has to do with the military and those that lead our country. They will blatantly discredit the soldiers who have fought and died so far from their families even though they have never served for their country.

I might not like what they say. I may not believe in what they believe in. I may never want to think of them as a friend. But I still serve for them.

Why do I do this? I do this because I believe that they should have the freedom to say what they believe in. I serve so that every American can have the freedoms that they enjoy right now. I will stand up and deploy to a country that is half way around the world from the family that I love so that they can enjoy these freedoms.

I will sacrifice my freedoms so that others can enjoy theirs. I will endure the hardships of a remote country so that others will never have to. I will celebrate my holidays, anniversaries, and even my child’s birthday, never getting to see their faces for a year, so that others will never have to do the same.

Not many people understand the sacrifices that the men and women of the armed forces go through. Those that serve will have a view of the world that many people will never understand. Those that see a service member will never fully comprehend what that person has done for them.

The next time you see a soldier do something for them to let them know that you appreciate all they do. All it takes is a simple thank you to help remind them that the people back home appreciate all that they do.

Great Advice

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.

" He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.