Here in our house, Veteran’s Day is a pretty important holiday. Chris served as a Captain in the Army, and even though he returned from his deployment 8 years ago, we still feel a very real connection to that time in his life.
To make the day extra special this year, I employed the kids with some simple tasks to encourage their sense of gratitude and pride in what their father accomplished. They love when we all work together around the house – it really energizes them!
Mack helped me bake a batch of carrot cake cupcakes. It is Chris’ favorite dessert, and as we assembled the ingredients I told them about the homemade carrot cake I made for our wedding many years ago. Sometimes I am surprised by how easy it can be to forge family traditions; without even thinking about it, they just…happen.
Evie pulled out some markers to design a banner for Dad. Her handwriting and spelling are really improving, and I only had to help her a little. She was so proud!
Evie saved plenty of room on the banner to draw a picture of our family (complete with a tiny baby in my tummy!). As I watched her sketch out the four most important people in my world, I took some time to reflect on just what Veteran’s Day is all about. The sacrifices made by generations before me made it possible for Chris and me to raise this family in a free country. And, Chris’ safe return home from Iraq meant that we had the opportunity to create this beautiful family. I said a prayer for those who didn’t return home to the families that should have been. So much to be grateful for, and so much to reflect upon.
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Such a sweet, beautiful post!
Thank you to Chris for serving. I was reading some pretty blood-pressure-rising posts on FB yesterday, and I had to take deep breaths and just focus on celebrating my husband and making him feel appreciated for his time in the military.
I wrote about it today (with tears) here: http://bootsandfeet.blogspot.com/2013/11/celebrating-intentionality-and.html
Your post is a very lovely tribute! Thank you! The US military really does so much good in the world, and your husband is a fine example of that.