It only takes a moment

I tend to stay away from topics such as politics, religion and other things that deal with ethics on my blog. Trust me I love a good debate, but that is best done in person with a person you know and who knows you.

At this time of year, we often think about those who have less. You will see Angel trees, wish lists, Operation Shoe Box and other projects around to help children in need. I am all for it! Trust me I've worked with children who would have no Christmas if it was not for charities. I have seen the good that come about by giving a child a new pair of shoes or a doll or a truck that they would never have without the help of strangers.

I wish that our own country did as much for our poor and especially our working poor as it seems we do for other countries who are in desperate need. I'm not saying that we should ignore or neglect places like Africa or Haiti, don't get me wrong. I am just saying that often times other than the holidays we seem to forget that we too have children who have nothing. We have homeless children. We have children who only get food if they go to school.

Oops that is not where I intended this blog post to go, but as you can probably tell I'm very passionate about our own children. I have worked in impoverished areas and it is sad, it is hard to know that the only food a child will eat is what is served at school. It is hard to see a child in clothes that are ill fitting never mind not warm/cool enough for the environment they live in. It is sad to see parents working 2 or 3 jobs just to keep a roof over their heads, food in their bellies and barely making enough for that, never mind health care.

But, there is one other group of Americans who often get forgotten. That is our soldiers. I don't care what you think about the war, or whatever they are calling it now. I don't care what you think about the choices our government has made about them being overseas. What you have to remember is every day these brave men and women put their lives on the line to serve and protect. It is their lives that make it so you can be free. It is their decision to join, to fight, to protect that provides us with the freedoms we have, the security we feel, the lives we lead.

So I encourage you to take 2 minutes to link over to Xerox's Let's Say Thanks program. That's is... 2 minutes to send a hero a thank you card. No money needed, no time out of your day... 2 minutes. All you have to do is choose a design, type in your name and home town, and pick a saying for your card... done! Not too much to ask, but think about that solider who will get that card from a stranger saying Thank You! It only takes a moment to say thank you for everything you do to help me be free.