Thank You for Your Service
Wow! Shock is probably not the right word. “Surprised by pride” would be a better way to describe what I witnessed last week while on vacation.
You never know what you’ll see and hear while having breakfast in a Best Western in Middle America.
I know it’s a stereotype that the Southerners have good manners, and I’ve witnessed for myself the politeness of young people when I visited Virginia several years ago. But on this morning my heart was pretty happy sitting and listening in on others in that breakfast room. Yes, I was unashamedly eavesdropping.
Let me see if I can give you an idea of what I saw and heard:
A young man, probably sixteen or seventeen, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt from Magnolia Farms, and a baseball cap strolled into the common area of our hotel where a breakfast bar offered the usual, complimentary fare. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and sat down to read from his phone. Within a few minutes a middle-aged couple entered and checked out the food options. The gentleman sat down at a far table and waited while his wife (wearing a “Proud of Our Son in the Air Force” t-shirt) began to plate up food for both of them. At first I didn’t notice the cap the man was wearing, but evidently it had some kind of military emblem that I couldn’t read from a distance. Just before the wife sat down with their breakfast, the husband got up to get coffee. The young man rose from his seat and approached him, hand extended.
“Thank you for your service, sir!” proclaimed the teen as he shook the hand of the man.
Without expecting anything in return, the boy returned to his seat across the room.
“Our son is serving now,” stated the mom proudly.
“And thank you for your service,” responded the boy.
I understood that last statement to be one of gratitude toward the woman for supporting her husband and son as they served our country.
I’m not sure if this strikes ya’ll the same way it did me; I was proud.
I am grateful for the service of all those in our military, but equally as proud of that young man who was bold enough to show his appreciation for an older veteran and a faithful wife and mother.
It goes further.
I am grateful to the parents of that young man who have raised him well. No one was there to tell him to do what he did, nor was there anyone present to “reward” him for his gesture. He has been given the gifts of humility, gratitude, and boldness to do the right thing simply because it is the right thing.
I am also humbled by the whole scenario, and I ask myself, “How can I be like him? How can I better love others with my respect and appreciation for who they are? How can I teach the children I influence to do the same?”
I don’t really have any answers just yet, except for sharing this event. Sometimes telling a story is the best way to get a point across. Jesus told countless stories that have been preserved for us to learn by, and I think we can make a difference with the stories we get to share.
What’s the whole point of this post?
I think it’s whatever strikes you as most important to take away. Maybe it’s having a greater respect for our elders, or perhaps showing gratitude to those in service and their families for their sacrifice. And just maybe it’s an encouragement to all of us to train our children in ways to humbly and boldly show the love of God.
Thank you for your service to Him!
GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!
