Remembering

WW l

Thanks Daddy Jim

for putting your life on the line.  For wearing the uniform and saving the burning airplane and doing what you had to so that my kids could be free to choose.  I hope I have taught them that freedom is a worked-for resource, not an instant right.  And I hope I have shown them that their lives are the pay-off for your investment.

I may not use your name every day, now I’m married, but I’ve worked hard to bring it some little honor.  I hope I have not wasted your gift.  And I hope to pass that gift on.  Your sacrifices should mean something, and that something should show up in the lives of your children, don’t you think?  I just want to say, I honor your courage and your heart.

Thanks Dad.

And the same to you.  With a big, fat slurpy kiss.  I’m astonishingly lucky that you’re still here to appreciate it.