'Tis the Season

Well here we are at the top of the first hill of the roller coaster that is the "holiday season." (I love metaphors, similies not so much, go figure.) Anyway, Halloween is but a distant memory and Thanksgiving is over but for the few leftovers, already forgotten in the back of the refrigerator, awaiting their appointment with the disposal. I have not forgotten, however, those things for which I am personally thankful.

First would be my family and friends, especially those who are like family to me (you know who you are). Next would be a comfortable life, made possible by continuing employment and a fairly simple lifestyle. I have been relatively healthy (see previous "simple lifestyle") and have no major concerns in that area. The last "big" thanks would be for my freedom to do, say and believe what I wish (within the bounds of personal ethics and the law) and to come and go as I please (within the bounds of actually being employed). There are many more things on my "thanks" list, but I will not enumerate them, just a quick "shout out" for: A Bell's Oberon with a medium rare steak; a summer day with no schedule except an appointment with a fishing rod and a small mouth bass; and a cup of coffee with a friend.

But as my thoughts turn to these things I cannot help but think of those who lack these very same pleasures. Those who are hungry, the homeless, those who, through chance or circumstance, have lost hope. And their numbers, in these turbulent economic times, are growing. The N.Y. Times just reported that 1 in 8 Americans ( and 1 in 4 children) are using food stamps to help feed themselves.

I do not presume to tell other people (at least unsolicited) what to do. But as for myself, I have decided that I have more than enough "stuff" (see earlier blog entry). Starting last year, I have asked my friends with whom I exchange presents to give me nothing, save a small "stocking stuffer" for Christmas. I would rather that they make a contribution to their local food bank or hunger program. It is a small contribution ( I have no wealthy friends) but I think it can make a difference in somebody's life. I know it has in mine.

Old Soldiers

"Old soldiers .....just fade away," is a phrase made famous in Gen. Douglas MacArthur's farewell address to Congress. There is a kernel of truth in this old aphorism. They "fade away" from our collective consciousness, except every November 11th. Once a year they don their uniforms, at least the parts that still fit, and remind us of who they are and what they did. The other days of the year they blend in with everyone else, "fading away" in plain sight.

As mentioned in an earlier entry, I never had the opportunity to serve in the military. This was not due to a lack of desire or ability. A minor, but chronic, medical condition precluded any chance of that happening. Had that not been the case, I most probably would have served during the tail end of the Viet Nam War, and may or may not have been sent there. No matter, it didn't happen, so what is my point?

My point is that while I did not serve, many others did, and still do. They made it possible for me to live my life of relative ease by their service. For this I am both thankful and envious. There was always something in the military life that appealed to me, even as a boy. I'm sure that in my early years it was mostly visions of honor and glory, waving flags and blaring bugles. Those juvenile fantasies were later supplanted with those ideals best expressed by the famous motto of West Point: Duty, Honor, Country. But those fantasies and dreams did not come to pass.

As a result, the best that I can do is to express my gratitude to those who lived my dream which, for some, was more akin to a nightmare. Whether it was upon the frozen fields of Bastogne or the Chosin Resevoir, the steaming jungles of Guadalcanal or the A Shau Valley, the burning sands of Iraq or Tunisia, or the desolate isolation of Greenland or the DEW line, in both peace and war they made sacrifices that I can not even begin to comprehend. I give to them, no matter how or where they served, a heartfelt thank you as I raise my hand to salute and wish them Godspeed in their journey through life.