11-11-11

11-11-11 Not sure what all the hoopla is about this date. Of course, if you marry today, it's a pretty surefire way to have your spouse remember your wedding date.
For me it's only about Veteran's Day. This is the first year I have not been able to pick up the phone and call my favorite veteran. That saddens me in a way that surprises me. Daddy died 5 months ago. But....this past week has had all kind of memories catching me off guard.
This morning I used my purple pen in my journal---for my "purple heart" recipient, Daddy. I thanked the Lord for that purple heart because that wounding saved his life. The very next day as he recovered in the Philippines at the army hospital, the platoon sargeant who took his place and several members of his platoon, if not all, were killed by a Japanese ambush. Daddy rarely spoke of it. Maybe it was just too painful. Sometime those of us stateside forget what are troops are doing for us.

Freedom is so costly. Daddy, like many vets today, never saw the birth of his first born. Until his death, he bore the deep leg scars of a sniper's bullet and the deep emotional pain of losing his army buddies while he was allowed to live.

Today, I'm celebrating his memory by listening to the CD I recorded in 2002 of him reading aloud Brown Bear, Brown Bear along with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and What a Wonderful World as a keepsake for his great "grands." Thanks to him and all our vets who have contributed to making the USA a "wonderful world" for our families!!