Honor

I have always felt a strong sense of admiration for those who have served our Country in any realm.  What a tremendous sacrifice to leave loved ones, overcome loneliness, and stay brave to defend our freedoms.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to go so far away from everything and everyone you are familiar with to fight for not only yourself but for others. 

Veterans Day has allowed all of us to honor those who did just that.  It gives all generations the ability to recognize and appreciate every human who served in wartime or peacetime.   

I have comprised a list of some Veterans facts as reminders to all of us;

• Veterans Day occurs on November 11 every year in the United States.  This was in honor of the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918 that signaled the end of World War I, known as Armistice Day.

• In 1954, then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially changed the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
• The Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress in 1968, which moved Veterans Day's celebration to the fourth Monday in October. 
• The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 then-President Gerald Ford turned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
• Great Britain, France, Australia, and Canada also commemorate World War l and World War ll veterans on or near November 11.  
• Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). 
• In Europe, Great Britain, and the Commonwealth countries, it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.
• Every Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Arlington National Cemetery holds an annual memorial service. The cemetery is home to the graves of over 400,000 people, most of whom served in the military.

• During peacetime, our military forces provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief at home and abroad.

You can look around and see veterans everywhere, as they are grandparents, parents, siblings, children, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  All of them should be recognized, appreciated, and honored for all they have done.

This reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures in the bible, which is John 15:13  - "Greater love has no one than this; then to lay down one's life for his friends." 

My affirmation for you this week is:

 "I will honor all Veterans each and every day for the sacrifices they have made for our Country."