The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

   

      What a gift it is to live in the United States of America!  Today I woke up and moved around at will.  I listened to a sermon as I worked out and I freely studied my Bible.  Never once did the electricity go out--I didn't even consider it as a possibility.  Hot water came out of the faucets in my house every single time I turned them on and the water was clean.  There are policemen who work around the clock to keep us safe and firefighters who wait willing to battle flames on our behalf. And although many issues today are disheartening and concerning, to say the least, we live in the "land of the free and the home of the brave." And there are literally millions of people who have sacrificed so much that we are and can be free.

     I remember a man that lived in the town I grew up in.  His name was David Cooper.  He truly was (not exaggerating) one of the nicest men I have ever had the privilege of knowing.  Everyone loved him and I never heard a single person say one ugly or derogatory thing about him.  Constantly wearing a joyful smile, he radiated with the most peaceful presence.
 It was impossible not to feel loved while around him as he was so encouraging. I vaguely remember hearing that he was a chaplain in the service but as a child/teenager that fact meant very little to me,
sad to say.

     Dad was talking the other day, in a very rare conversation about his time in the Vietnam War serving on air craft carriers.  There were several things he recalled as he eventually remembered an interesting fact.  He asked if I knew that John McCain had served on air carriers in Vietnam (but as a pilot). We digressed from Dad's story to McCain's story of the USS Forrestal explosion.  He explained how a rocket exploded on the flight deck causing a chain of explosions that killed 134 people and injuring 161.  And then he stopped...there was a man from our town on that ship and he was a chaplain.  David Cooper.  I flashed back to childhood and remember that sweet disposition and kind smile.  Dad said that David was one of the chaplains that ministered to the wounded and hurting.  He probably read last rights for people who had died so tragically that day.

     How did he live through such tragedy and come home not smelling of ashes? What a testimony to the peace that comes only from the Prince of Peace.  He lived a life that didn't remain focused on the hurt and loss but on Faith, Hope and Love.  His life was a constant testimony of our God who is bigger than all the evil this world can bring.

     As we move around this great land of ours this week may we look for opportunities to bless the men and women who have given so much so that we can truly enjoy all of these blessings.

   
(I would love to hear the stories of the brave service men and women that you know.  Please feel free to post a comment and share them so that we all can remember what all we have to be thankful for!)