Today in the lobby at the JCC there was a card table decorated with a blue table cloth with red,white and blue balloons and next to the table an American Flag. As Max was exploring the room I glanced at the two sheet cakes on the table one said "Happy Veterans Day" and the other "Thank You". I contemplated giving Max a piece of the cake but then quickly dismissed the idea. Next week he will have his first cupcake. I also had a flash back to this time last year. I was very pregnant and sleep deprived, I could have induced but chose to wait it out a little mostly because I was recovering from a nasty flu. I remember being disappointed that Max wasnt going to be born on veteran's day because I wanted his newborn pic with an American flag. As I was daydreaming, an elderly man and woman walked into the lobby(I have a weakness for the elderly. I just love to listen to their stories, joys, regrets, honesty, ect) When the man's eyes met with the table of gratitude, they lit up and a huge smile followed. "Hey, would you look over here" he said to his wife" Now, isnt this a nice surprise" the wife proudly led him over to a board on the wall with all the JCC veterans listed and what war they fought and said "Look, here is your name". His chuckle made my day and forever changed my perspective on Veterans day.
Sadly, before today I just looked at it as a holiday that the banks and post offices were closed. A holiday that sometimes produce a decent parade. A holiday that is easily forgotten because its just a few weeks before Thanksgiving which is struggling to survive over the "holiday" hype. I felt guilty because when I initially saw the gratitude table instead of thinking" bright colors for Max to notice, no cake for max, I can't have any because its probably not gluten free" I should have been thinking" what can I do for a veteran today, these men and women have risked their lives for what so many of us take for granted" Thank you, to all the veterans that served our country, I promise to honor you moving forward.
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