LML Monday - Patriotism, Respect & Gratitude

It's Monday once again, my friends. And as always that means it's time to reflect on the things that made us happy over the past week. And of course now is also the perfect time to set the tone for a great week to come! 

If you missed my take on LML, you can find it here. If you missed the explanation of LML Monday, you can catch up here.

Yesterday was Veteran's Day here in the United States (although because it was a Sunday, many people/places are still celebrating it today.)

Part of today's continued observance was this morning's annual Veteran's Day Celebration at my kids' school. It started with a free pancake breakfast for the community, and concluded with a very patriotic (and moving) ceremony celebrating our freedom and honoring those who have helped protect it.

It was quite the community event, with several different groups helping to put it all together. Besides the teachers and students from the school, the local Cub Scout and Girl Scout troops were there to help, and the JROTC Color Guard from the high school performed the flag ceremony. The Mayor of the city, the newly-elected County Attorney, and the recently re-elected County Sheriff also came out to show their support.

There was plenty of patriotic music (including a very adorable rendition of "My Country 'Tis of Thee" sung by the kindergarten and 1st grade classes), a couple of readings (including a letter from a soldier thanking the kids for all of the letters they had written to his unit serving overseas), and the Sheriff gave a really nice speech (directed to the kids in the audience) about being patriotic, and what it means to live in a free country.

With the exception of those few parents who were letting their kids run amok at the playground during the ceremony, I was really impressed by how dignified the whole thing was, and how respectful the majority of the audience was - especially most of the kids. Of course, the kids that go to school there are used to starting every morning with a flag ceremony and The Pledge of Allegiance, so they have plenty of practice. But it's still always nice to see.

 I love that our school/community does this. And I love that my kids can experience these events at this young age, so that they can grow up understanding and appreciating what it all means.

And of course I am eternally grateful to all of the men and women who serve or have served in the armed forces. For everything that you are, and everything that you do. On behalf of my family, Thank You.

If you would like to learn more about Veteran's Day, here are a few helpful web sites that I found:

The US Army Center of Military History Veteran's Day page
The Military.com Veteran's Day page
The History.com Veteran's Day page


Ok. I shared mine - now it's your turn! Please feel free to leave me a comment and share some of your recent LML moments. Focus on the happy thoughts, and let's all have a great week!

And if you're a blogger and would like to get in on the LML fun, feel free to grab the code and join the blog hop! Your post doesn't specifically have to use the "LML" label (although you're welcome to use it if you'd like.) But if you have any kind of happy, positive Monday message that you'd like to share you're welcome to join. The more happy vibes, the better the Monday!