My heart still hurts

I remember that morning 6 years ago. My heart broke. And I got mad.

Today? My heart still breaks. And I'm still mad.

I'm upset that something like that happened in our country. That such violence occurred in the "Land of the Free".

I'm a very patriotic person. My parents brought me up to be thankful to live here. They grew up without the opportunities we have here in the United States. As immigrants, they made sure we looked at our lives. I remember when I was 4, he made sure I knew the Pledge of Allegiance and knew what it meant. That I could sing the Star Spangled Banner. That I could sing America the Beautiful. That I could sing My Country Tis of Thee. That I could sing God Bless America. And KNOW what these songs meant. So that I could sing them with feeling and emotion. When I was four!

My Dad also made sure that we worked to improve our lives. He ingrained in us that we aren't GIVEN anything in life. That our life here is what we built it to be. Nothing is handed to us on a silver platter. We should never expect things to be given to us. We have to EARN it. Like our freedom. Our military is working for us to maintain our freedom.

I must say that if I was in my 20s and single? I would have joined the military with no hesitation. My Dad, who retired from the Navy, made me appreciate the fact that the military is what helps our country remain free. My husband, who was a Navy officer, did his time in the Middle East. He went over there twice. And I'm sure if and when our children are old enough? We'll let them go to fight for our country. It's a hard one to swallow for me because I adore the both of them....but that is how my family has been brought up.

What upsets me are those people that join the military and don't expect to go anywhere. They join to get money to go to college. They join to learn a trade. They join and don't expect to SERVE? They don't expect to be sent anywhere? My head spins that they expect to gain and give nothing in return.

When I see military jets and hear the rumble in the air? THAT is the "Sound of Freedom". That's something that reminds me of what kind of country I live in. It reminds me of all the military people who have given their lives so that we can have freedom in our country. I appreciate our nation.

On the radio this morning, they are talking about how much people in our country are complaining about the military. That "our children" have to go to the war. That the President doesn't know what he's doing. The commentator is saying that the people in our country seem to be LESS PATRIOTIC in this day and age than during the World Wars. That during WWI and WWII, the people of the United States banded together and fought together. But you have to remember, those were the times where family was first. It was about family and community. Now? People think of themselves. What can I get. How much can I make. What's the easiest and quickest path to what I want. It's a me, me, me world. And that may be why our nation seems less patriotic. It makes me sad.

But I'm rambling. There's a jumble of things rattling around in my mind. But I'm remembering the day. Remembering how I felt. Remembering why our troops are where they're at. It's a day I'll always remember.