Visiting Northport Veterans Hospital with Patriot Guard Riders,Soldiers Angels and Blue Star Moms...
What a wonderful day today was! Filled with so much depth. Today was spent with Soldiers Angels and Blue Star Moms visiting Veterans at the Northport VA. We went to three different buildings where we were able to visit and spend time with veterans. I was able to talk to many of them but there was one veteran in particular who really brought me to think of the many Veterans that will be returning home soon. We were talking, and he must have been at least 24 years young. He was telling me about his service in the Army and being that I always find people and their life stories so interesting I couldn't help but immerse myself in zooming in and listening to what he had to say. Even though all his words were quite captivating, the one thing that I always find inspiring in people are their own goals and dreams. Everyone has a purpose in life and in my opinion nothing is greater then finding that purpose and being able to live your life in such a fulfilled manner that it nourishes and satisfies your soul on a daily basis.
Anyhow, as I sat there listening to his story the one thing that really moved me was when with all sincerity he said,"You know Nency, I really loved my job. I loved serving my country and I really miss being able to protect it." WOW! I was dumb founded when I heard that and honestly did not know what words to say that would comfort him. When he said that, I could easily see how much it was raw emotion that came from his heart and how much he really did want to be able to go back. I'm not sure about you, but for the most part I rarely hear anyone saying that about their job! Usually, people are ready to retire
(regardless of their age!) or ready for a complete career change! I was impacted by him saying that because here in front of me was such a young man that instead of going out and doing the usual partying that most do, he just wanted to go back to his job of in his words, "serving and protecting his country." I honestly don't know what to say or really think of that other then,"Wow." Being someone so young and literally putting your life on the line so others can enjoy the liberties and be able to live a better quality of life is quite admirable as not many people would so willingly do that. I can't help but wonder if saying "thank you for your service" is even really enough for a action of such high magnitude. How do you even honestly match that? I really don't know if there is a specific way in particular to show them that what they are willing to do is appreciated. But I suppose for starters, letting them know that they aren't forgotten by coming to see them at the hospital is one way of doing so. With that mentioned, I look forward to next month as I can imagine it will be quite insightful. A great big "thanks" to Rosemary from Soldiers Angels for having me there and one more thing, I know you are probably wondering...what is that dog sculpture you are standing next to?? A little background history of this adorable piece of art. It was created by a USMC Vietnam Veteran named Paul Suominen. His work in metal arts have been shown throughout the country and he donated this sculpture of the USMC mascot to veterans at the Northport VA Medical Center. 
What a wonderful day today was! Filled with so much depth. Today was spent with Soldiers Angels and Blue Star Moms visiting Veterans at the Northport VA. We went to three different buildings where we were able to visit and spend time with veterans. I was able to talk to many of them but there was one veteran in particular who really brought me to think of the many Veterans that will be returning home soon. We were talking, and he must have been at least 24 years young. He was telling me about his service in the Army and being that I always find people and their life stories so interesting I couldn't help but immerse myself in zooming in and listening to what he had to say. Even though all his words were quite captivating, the one thing that I always find inspiring in people are their own goals and dreams. Everyone has a purpose in life and in my opinion nothing is greater then finding that purpose and being able to live your life in such a fulfilled manner that it nourishes and satisfies your soul on a daily basis. 
Anyhow, as I sat there listening to his story the one thing that really moved me was when with all sincerity he said,"You know Nency, I really loved my job. I loved serving my country and I really miss being able to protect it." WOW! I was dumb founded when I heard that and honestly did not know what words to say that would comfort him. When he said that, I could easily see how much it was raw emotion that came from his heart and how much he really did want to be able to go back. I'm not sure about you, but for the most part I rarely hear anyone saying that about their job! Usually, people are ready to retire 
(regardless of their age!) or ready for a complete career change! I was impacted by him saying that because here in front of me was such a young man that instead of going out and doing the usual partying that most do, he just wanted to go back to his job of in his words, "serving and protecting his country." I honestly don't know what to say or really think of that other then,"Wow." Being someone so young and literally putting your life on the line so others can enjoy the liberties and be able to live a better quality of life is quite admirable as not many people would so willingly do that. I can't help but wonder if saying "thank you for your service" is even really enough for a action of such high magnitude. How do you even honestly match that? I really don't know if there is a specific way in particular to show them that what they are willing to do is appreciated. But I suppose for starters, letting them know that they aren't forgotten by coming to see them at the hospital is one way of doing so. With that mentioned, I look forward to next month as I can imagine it will be quite insightful. A great big "thanks" to Rosemary from Soldiers Angels for having me there and one more thing, I know you are probably wondering...what is that dog sculpture you are standing next to?? A little background history of this adorable piece of art. It was created by a USMC Vietnam Veteran named Paul Suominen. His work in metal arts have been shown throughout the country and he donated this sculpture of the USMC mascot to veterans at the Northport VA Medical Center. 
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