In three days Christmas and Chanukah will be upon us, the downward trend of less sunlight and increased stress due to the commercialization of these religious holidays will have passed, yet for many of us the season will be a sad one. Spouses, loved ones, brothers, sisters, cousins, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are still deployed or even deploying in the fight against terrorism. For them, waking up to the sight of their family gathering around the tree, or meeting for Chanukah dinners will be replaced with work, patrols and yes possibly even firefights.
If you have a loved one deployed or even on active duty, thank you for your sacrifice to protect our freedom. Do not fall prey to the pessimism of the media and those on the left in this country for they are a broken and battered party, their incessant whining about a lost cause and violations of the constitution are but the symptoms of a greater illness that has overtaken them. Instead, lift up your spirits and remember the good times you have had with your loved one and the happy times you will have again upon their return, for they will return. Think to the great and noble acts they perform everyday in Iraq, Afghanistan and even Kosovo, projecting democracy and freedom to the world and remember that they fight the enemy of freedom in the enemy’s backyard and not our own.
Christmas and Chanukah are both celebrations to the glory of God and his love for his chosen people; let it not be a time of sadness and depression but rather a celebration of our own life in freedom and security. To quote JRR Tolkien’s character Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King;
“Sons of Gondor! Of Rohan! My brothers, I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of Men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields when the Age of Men comes crashing down, but it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West!”
Let us use his words as our battle cry and instead of this being the day that we fight, let us stand up and celebrate our freedoms and the service of all those who willingly wear the uniform of our country, tomorrow we will fight and we will win.
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