40 Days of Thankfulness - Day 4

Today we are so thankful for the troops that serve our country and fight for our freedom and our rights.

Today always reminds me of one of my favorite moments with my Daddy. We were in Hawaii, on our last Daddy daughter trip before I got married. We were at a Japanese Steak House, where they cook at the table. We were sitting with 3 other people, all under 25, that were stationed in Hawaii. They were having their last dinner before they were deployed the next morning. We enjoyed their company so much, and had a wonderful time. They told us about what a splurge this was for them, and how hard it was to get enough money together just to fly home to see their families while they were on leave. When dinner was almost over, Daddy leaned over to me and said, "Do you think we should buy their dinner?" When they asked for the check, we were already getting up to leave, and I will never forget the look on the young girls face when she looked at Daddy and said, "Oh, Sir, thank you so much!" He said, it's the least we could do, thank you for what you do! I respect my Daddy so much, but in this moment, I was swelling with pride and thankfulness that he was MY Daddy.

I always try to make a point to shake soldiers hands when I see them out and about, and I hope that I can follow Daddy's example and do things to show them how thankful I am as an American and how grateful I am for their sacrifice.

Happy Veterans Day!