America's Heroes

"O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness

And every gain divine."

That is my favorite verse of "America the Beautiful" because it captures the heroism of our nation's veterans. This weekend, we got to be part of Lewisville ISD's Veteran's Day ceremony. Ryan's Papaw came in for it also, so it was really neat that they got to be honored together. We went to breakfast at an elementary school where the students had decorated the tables with hand made patriotic placemats, and at each seat there was a thank you letter written to a veteran. The kids served us our coffee and treated these guys like rock stars. To see some of these men's faces light up when they realized that they are appreciated for their service brought tears to my eyes. The whole event was SO well done by everyone involved. I was really pleased to see that our schools are making a big deal about supporting the troops. I regret that we don't make every day Veteran's Day because every day we have is a day that we are free to work, to go to school, to pray, to speak our mind, and to enjoy the freedoms that these veterans fought for us to have. I don't know if many of us truly grasp the significance of that. I know I don't...and my husband is a vet! The Flower Mound band played the anthem for each branch of service, and when the Marine Corps Hymn was played and Ryan stood up, my heart swelled with pride. I make a much bigger deal out of it than Ryan ever will, and that's really how most of these vets are. Selfless. Speaking of selfless, the guest speaker for the ceremony was a Marine Staff Sergeant (and Lewisville H.S. graduate) that lost part of his arm in Iraq. Instead of being bitter, he uses his situation to serve as a mentor to fellow amputees at Walter Reed and the Naval Medical Center. He did a great job of reminding everyone of the importance of supporting our troops. So, next time you have a chance...thank a Vet!!

Two of my favorite Vets...Ryan & Papaw

Marine SSgt Mark H. Graunke, Jr. and his family. This Liberty Bell replica was brought over by the Daugters of the American Revolution. I was SO excited to see that on either side of the bell were tablets with the 10 commandments inscripted on them....YES, at a school function.