Over the past week, I have been honored to take part in several Veterans Day activities around the Thumb. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to say a few words of gratitude to these honorable men and women on behalf of our community and the state of Michigan.
Although words can never be enough, many veterans have told me that simply hearing "Thank you for your service" means a lot. They deserve to hear those words all year round, from all of us. It is not enough for us to feel grateful. We must express that gratitude, both in words and action.
I am always amazed at how little our veterans ask in return for the tremendous sacrifices they have made. I have come to believe that to truly honor our veterans, we must not waste their sacrifice. Without all they have given, we would not have the freedoms we enjoy. Without their bravery and commitment, America would not be the great country it is today.
Those of us who have not served in the military, especially in combat, can never truly understand what that is like. Our veterans deserve a type of respect, honor and gratitude all their own. We can learn so much from them. We can learn about the true meaning of service. We can learn about serving a greater purpose than ourselves. There is no way we can ever truly repay them. What we can do is carry on their lessons of service and honor.
We must keep working hard to build a country that's worthy of what they and their families sacrificed: A place where we are all free to practice our religion, choose and participate in our own government, raise our children as we wish, and bear arms; a place where everyone has the opportunity to make a good living; where every child can get a great education; where every family can save up to own a home, and not worry about losing it; where people care about each other and take care of one another.
As thousands of our neighbors, co-workers, friends and family members fight overseas to keep those freedoms, we here at home have to fight to make that America a reality.
Our veterans provide the model for us to emulate in pursuing that goal. Their sacrifices came from a deep place of honor, of a sense of what is right and just, of respect for what our country stands for, of an unfaltering faith in the greatness that Americans can achieve. Those values were worth something to them. Those values were, in fact, worth everything.
What sacrifices are the rest of us willing to make for our community, our state, our nation? What are those values worth to us?
When we think of all that our veterans put on the line, perhaps it's worth a push to ask ourselves, Can I volunteer a few hours at the local school? Can I spare a few more cans of food for the food bank? Can I make a commitment to mentor a struggling parent? Can I take a chance on hiring someone who might be a little underqualified but is down on their luck? Can I cheer up those seniors who rarely have visitors? What small sacrifice can I make for the sake of my community?
The smallest sacrifice each of us can make is saying "Thank you for your service" to a veteran you run into at the store or post office, or even one in your family you may not have acknowledged before. It's a small way to make a big difference.