Out of the Shadows

It's almost spring...I can't wait for warmer weather when I can take my granddaughter outside without saying "come on in...it's too cold". I look forward to the weekends when I can take my dog Kasey for a walk in the park or just paddle around the inlets in a kayak down near VA Beach. Even a quiet evening on the beach watching the sunset without having to be wrapped in a blanket would be a wonder treat right now.

What I long for is only weeks away where our military members long for the same thing and their hopes and dreams are months if not close to a year away. It was put into perspective when I attended a conference recently that it's not just the military members who "deploy" but it can also be the family. I hadn't initially thought of the family where the spouse and children relocate somewhere else for the duration of a deployment so they have resources and support available while their service member is gone. For that family, they are experiencing two deployments...one overseas to fight and one here at home to survive the rigors of a deployment.

Out of the shadows come family, friends and individuals with the truest desire to help our military families and this is where I get the biggest joy...it's the support we give to our military and their families...it's the thank you's I hear when someone sees a military member in uniform. It's the thoughtful "payment of the dinner check" by a retired vet when he sees an active duty service member in the booth next to him. It's just that smile when a soldier or sailor that walks by in uniform that means the most.

Why not come "out of the shadows" and say thanks next time you see a member of our armed forces in uniform...it will make all the difference in the world and I guarantee that service member will "pay it forward" in his life and his service to us.

Take care and remember to say Thank You...