Veterans’ Day

I believe heroes seldom feel heroic. They might feel hungry, thirsty, tired, scared, impatient, grubby, overlooked, over-tasked, under-informed…but not heroic. Heroes are often too busy looking at the job they need to do, to spend time looking in the mirror, admiring themselves.

And in this crazy world, where we lionize the trivial, and trivialize the lions, there are too few people who take the time to tell the men and women doing the hard work of heroism that they really are…heroic. To hold up a mirror, and let them know that what they do, how they do it, and why they do it, is the very best of our national character.

And so I can’t let this day go by without thanking all those who have served our country, especially those who have placed themselves in harm’s way for the sake of our Constitutional freedoms, and our security.

My thoughts and prayers are with you, and with those you love.

Happy Veterans’ Day.

Memorial Day…So much more than a picnic

Those of us who live in freedom owe a debt to those who gave their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, so that we could enjoy the blessings of liberty. There is no way to repay this debt to those who have given so much for us and the cause of liberty here and around the globe–except by honoring their memory and their service; and by preserving their gift in our own day, and for our children down through the generations.

Thank you…

…to all those who gave their lives.
…to all those who gave their health of mind and body.
…to all those serving in the Armed Forces, answering today’s call.
…to all the families whose hearts are sorrowful with loss, or troubled with anxiety for a loved one serving in harm’s way.

You are often in my thoughts and prayers.