RSSThe ones keeping watch tonight
Carolyn Hileman | December 14, 2009
The ones keeping watch tonight
Carolyn Hileman
When the gifts have all been unwrapped and all that is left is the noisy children, wrapping paper, boxes and tissue paper, spare a thought for those who cannot be home this Christmas. When you have eaten everything in site, the kitchen is clean and the family have all left, when you settle down to watch the game on TV, spare a thought for those who will not get to watch the game this year. Those who can only dream of a white Christmas unless you count sand, those who will not get to fight with their brother or play touch football in the yard, those who will not get to see their children tear into the gifts that Santa so carefully placed under the tree, and those who will not get to push their little boy on his first two wheeler.
You see all the while that you were shopping, finding just the right thing for everyone, putting up your tree, wrapping your gifts and putting just the right last touch on your decorations there were thousands of young men and women standing guard just so you could do those things, these fine men and women who are oh so often maligned by the press and yes even some in government, are standing there between you and the people who would love nothing more than destroy you and your family. Standing guard night and day, putting their lives at risk, knowing that because they are there protecting you their family members are missing them this Christmas.
They are so far away, and as such we tend to take for granted what they do for us, we take for granted the fact that we can go to the mall without fear of an explosion, that we can even celebrate Christmas in the fashion we choose, those things do not just happen by themselves, there is someone watching over our freedoms at all times, and that is the greatest gift of all. It does not fit in a stocking, you will never find a box big enough to hold it, it is all encompassing and given freely every single time one of these brave men and women put on their uniform. Some of these heroes don’t even have family to send them cards and gifts this year, and yet they stand and defend your right to.
So when the lights are burning softly on the tree, the kids are tucked away in bed and the last toy put up for the night, say a prayer of thanks for the ability to have this Christmas and spare a thought for those who cannot. It will not cost you anything, it will not take anything away form your celebration, but it will mean so much to the ones keeping watch tonight
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