A Dose of Reality

To me, the official start of Christmas shopping has begun. I refuse to do any shopping before Remembrance Day out of honor for the past and current troops. I like the emphasis Canadians have on November 11th, with the wearing of the red poppy and the cenotaphs that are decorated every year. I’m not sure if it is just the location we are living in or the fact that Dan is no longer in the military, but the focus isn’t as clear here. Perhaps, too, it is the changing of the times, as commercialism gets more aggressive each year. As one man said, “America isn’t at war. The Marines are at war. Americans are at the mall.” I know our grandparents went through so much more with war rations, food stamps, and other sacrifices. Many thanks to them.

The VA hospital in Palo Alto is the headquarters for severe trauma in the Pacific region. One man at our church has stepped up to head a ministry to the soldiers coming home from Iraq. The hospital welcomes baked goods and other practical ways of encouragement to the troops (i.e. Bibles, sport-event tickets, phone cards) and also articles to be sent oversees (Bibles, toiletry items, basic socks/underwear, phone cards, etc.). I have never been down to the hospital but I think it would be good to go. I need a dose of reality. To be honest, I don’t even watch the nightly news reports because it gets ‘old.’ How is that for patriotism?