Thank You For Your Service
It's Veterans Day! Salute to all of those who served and continue to serve our country. Shout out to my husband, father, step-father, brother, uncles, and cousins! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
On the outside, I would have looked at today as just an excuse to have a three day weekend. Yes, I would have acknowledged today, but I am not sure I would have appreciated it the way I do now. I am sure my husband will be happy about my new found respect for the day. So now, when I return home, he will have company as he goes around to all the businesses that give away free meals on Veterans Day. LOL!
My girl on the inside, and one who will remain when I am on the outside, Captain, told me in the hallway two days ago that she was more excited about Veterans Day than any other holiday. She stated that it meant more than Christmas or Thanksgiving. That was all I needed to rally up the troops to do something special for her. Captain has become one of my closest friends. We initially connected because of business discussions. Then, we became accountability partners as she has been writing a book and just needed a little kick in the ass. Of course I obliged. Since then, we have been like sisters. We have been sharing all our wins, losses, tears, and smiles. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life. I truly mean that. When you see her, she always has a smile on her face. Because of the time I have spent with her, I also knew her military story and how she almost lost her life while serving.
There are about three of us who have become like a celebration committee. We have planned birthdays, Friendsgiving, and now Veterans Day. We snuck down to the classroom two nights ago to create a red, white, and blue poster that said "Thank you for your service." We decorated it with stars, swirlies, and other various items. I was nothing super fancy, but it was created with love. Then last night we went around the building and had everyone sign it using blue and red gel pins. As we went around, a few people told us that Captain had been talking about Veterans Day all week and how she was going to miss getting her free meals. She was also disappointed that the BOP did not do anything to acknowledge vets.
In true military fashion, Captain hit the floor early this morning. And when she stepped out of her door the lights came on so that she could see her poster. When I tell you her tears flowed for what seemed like twenty minutes. She was so happy. She said, "This is the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time. You all are stuck with me for life." My heart was full as I told her to set aside some time today so that we could just chat. I have been missing my Captain time lately because we have both been living our best prison lives. LOL! It felt good to do a small act of kindness to make someone's day special.
Captain, I know one day you will read this. Thank you for being my friend during this challenging yet life changing experience. You have helped me more than you know. I can't wait to see you walk back out of that gate.
To the women and men of the armed forces...THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! We salute you!
