Photo courtesy dh_creative on Pixabay
This is the third of five posts that will be featured each Monday from Heather on thankfulness. Read her first post here and her second post here.
by Heather Lang
This goes out to all the men and women who have served and are continuing to serve; those who serve our country, who serve God, who put their lives on the line to save other people’s lives. To all who make extreme sacrifices, have pure determination, strength, and courage, I want to sincerely THANK YOU.
To the men and women in military that are courageous enough to wear the uniforms of our country, God bless you. THANK YOU for vigorously fighting for our rights and our freedom. You have done something that most can’t even consider doing – you put your country before yourself and your family. Unselfishly, you put your life on the line daily for all Americans. Blood, sweat and tears have been given by you, fear has lived inside of you and yet you choose to put your country first. You chose to fight for our freedom. You choose to put your life on the line so we can live freely. You are courageous. You are brave. I am grateful for all you have done and appreciate your beautiful hearts. Saying thank you seems so inadequate for serving our country and leaving your family behind.
To the strong, selfless men and women in uniform who are out there daily serving and protecting our communities and nation: THANK YOU. Thank you to all the officers, EMT’s, and firefighters for making the decision to put other's lives before yours. Thank you for keeping us, our families and neighborhoods safe. To all the nurses and certified nursing assistants, thank you from the bottom of my heart for caring, lending a listening ear, comforting our loved ones in their last moments of life and those having to make life- changing decisions during these hard times. Bless your hearts of gold.
To those who serve God, and I’m not just referring to the pastors, priests, clergy men and women, it is often a thankless job. Ministry at its heart means “service.” To the pianists, organists, secretaries, council members, congregations, Sunday school teachers and all the called workers who serve God, THANK YOU. God gave the ultimate sacrifice for us and how can we ever repay him? The answer is simple SERVE HIM. The next time your church asks for volunteers for an event happening at your church, or to bake goodies, sign up. And when they need help setting up the Christmas décor this season, sign up. “For the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
To my husband and all the farmers and ranchers out there who work diligently to provide the food, fiber and fuel for the world, THANK YOU. You have had to forego many family dinners and activities. You put in a full day’s work before most others even consider getting out of bed and you come home not when the sun sets, but when the work is done. Putting in 60 hours of work by Wednesday in nothing new to you. The physical beating your body takes along with the mental defeat your head takes is exhausting. I applaud you for generously striving to enrich the health of the world, the soil of our nation, and the knowledge of Americans. I am forever grateful for all you do and sacrifice.
To the many who sit on boards, hold multiple office positions, volunteer your time to cause worthy organizations to better others, THANK YOU. Those that give up time with your families, fill your calendar with more activities, those that give extra hours of sleep for something you believe in, THANK YOU.
Thank you is not sufficient enough to show my gratitude to each of you and your families who support you in everything you do to serve our country.