Sometimes I begin to doubt that I am really making progress with the girls, but then I reflect upon all the things that we are doing and learning and I can relax and know that they are learning so much. As I wrote to a friend in an email today, I realized just how much we are doing.

Veterans' Day

Well, I am breaking the trend.....posting before the end of the month......lol.

Today is Veterans' Day. Yesterday the girls and I watched the memorial service at Fort Hood for the massacred soldiers. I explained each symbolic gesture to the girls. I explained to them that we are a military family. Their daddy served in the army. Their grandpa is retired after 20 years of service in the Air Force. Their Grandma Deb was a orthopedic tech in the Army. Our family believes and practices service to others.....whether to the country, to our churches, to our neighbors, to strangers, or to each other.

I explained to them that service begins inside them in the belief that they are in the world for more than their own selfish interest. I shared with them how I believe service begins at home and can only then spread outward. I have known people over the years that were constantly "in service" to others but when you got to know them better you realized that they were not caring for themselves and their own families. In my humble opinion, these people were not living in an attitude of service; they were living in an attitude of escape.....escape from responsibilities to themselves and their families.

Many will not agree with me, but I believe that we are given our families because they are our greatest opportunity for service. If we do not raise and care for our families well, who knows what opportunities will be missed. It may have been our job to raise the next healthcare worker, the next political leader, the next pastor who would do good or even great things, but by failing in our job and our responsibilities, we have failed others. I was just as guilty as others in neglecting things at home at times because I had to rush out and "serve" others.

Now I understand that our greatest service to mankind is to raise caring, healthy, giving, loving children. In that process, we may, in fact, do some amazing things ourselves. But nowadays, we are so busy rushing around "doing" that we are often forgetting to care for our own families. This is resulting in a generation who is superficial and only cares for their own desires. I want more than that for my grandchildren. So I must teach them that their greatest responsibility is to caring for their own family, to taking responsibility in their own family, and that, in turn, will train them and teach them the responsibilities of serving others.

For some reason this year I also feel a crushing necessity to teach the girls basic living.....you know, living without the luxuries of life. Can you cook without electricity or gas? Do you know that water can be boiled to make it safe? Can you repair clothes with a needle and thread, rather than throwing it away and running to buy new? Can you take pleasure in reading a book, having a conversation, or watching a sunset? Would you rather watch a TV show or wildlife at the nearby park? The luxuries are wonderful.....I love my air conditioning. But do you know how to stay cool without air conditioning? I am not sure why this is so important this year, but I have learned to follow my instincts.

I'm not sure what all of this has to do with Veterans' Day. Just random thoughts from a scattered brain.

Happy Veterans' Day! Thank you to all who have served and do serve and will serve. Thank you for my freedom!