Friday, November 11, 2011

~veterans day momentos~

Each Veteran's Day I like to recognize the veterans
I personally know. Whether that be by mailing them
a card, calling them or writing something
on my family blog about them and their service. 
My husband's Grandpa proudly served in
the U.S. Navy during WWII. It's been nearly
a year since he died and I wanted to be sure 
to acknowledge his service even though he's not
with us anymore. It disappoints me
that the stores really don't have much to 
offer for those wanting to acknowledge 
the importance of this day. I suppose
Christmas is much more profitable 
for the retailers. Even in the greeting
card section I could only find 4 different cards
for Veteran's Day (I bought 3 of them).

For Grandpa I decided to make a personalized
ornament to hang at his headstone.
Remember all those Christmas bulb ornaments I got 
last year? They came in handy again. I'm finding there
is a ton to do with these ornaments. I'm going to stock
up on a bunch of them again this Christmas.

I printed up a picture of him as a young, handsome naval dude
and put it inside the bulb with some
star shaped confetti. I then decorated the bulb
with some Americana stickers and ribbon.
Finally, I attached it to a wooden dowel.
Grandma was happy to go with me and it brought
tears to my eyes to hear her talk to Grandpa
and tell him she was proud of him for 
his service as she placed the flag at the base of
his headstone. Before the tears could
leave the corners of my eyes though she had
me laughing with the next sentence.....
"I hope it's not too hot down there."
Wherever you may be Grandpa....:)
thank you for your service.
Happy Veteran's Day. 

DON'T WAIT FOR VETERAN'S DAY TO THANK
OUR VETERANS.  They are veterans everyday....
not just one day a year.

The sacrifice of a veteran and his/her family is 
so great.  And don't assume the sacrifice
ends when their tour does. Most of the wounds of
war aren't visible, physical wounds. Many veterans are 
"emotionally serving" their whole lives. 
The emotional trauma of war can effect
the quality of life for the veteran
and for the family as well.
If you've ever loved a person who's been
to war you know this firsthand. 
If you don't, consider yourself informed now.
They deserve respect and recognition.....
give it to them.
  HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY.

1 comment:

Jolie said...

Oh Paula :)
That's so special.
The "memory ball" is awesome!!

I've always admired your way of honoring loved ones that have passed.

Love your gma's "hot" comment. LOL!

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