Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all who have served and given of themselves to protect their country and our freedoms. May we never take those things for granted. I am joining my Five Minute Friday community today and writing about our prompt: Extreme.
It’s divine planning that in America we celebrate our freedoms with Veterans Day the same week as our elections. We honor those who served our country just days after exercising our rights to vote. It’s extremely fitting that we give thanks for the men and women who allowed for those very elections to persist by sacrificing on our behalf.
Elections can be a polarizing moment for our country.
People on either end of the political spectrum wrestle for the majority vote. And it all comes down to which side has the most people show up at the polls or casts their ballot in the mail. In America our politics have been divided into two extreme camps with a minority of people teetering between both sides.
We live in a climate right now that values loyalty to a party rather than truth to our issues or beliefs. In an attempt to win, we sacrifice the whole “freedom” idea and let the politicans make our decisions. If we are red–we turn in a ballot that matches that. And if we are blue–likewise.
But here’s the thing–the Veterans we celebrate today didn’t sacrifice time, safety, family, and so much more so that we could color our ballots in with one crayon. This extreme loyalty to party isn’t the freedom our forefathers had in mind when they drafted democracy. In fact, it’s a dangerous logic that gone unchecked can lead to policies and leadership akin to some of the worst in history.
They gave so we could choose. They gave so we could use whichever crayons we wanted-we can even blend colors to create a beautiful representation of democracy.
Thank you to all the men and women who have served.
The Ameri Brit Mom
The Ameri Brit Mom 
Some fought because they thought it right,
some died because they had no choice,
some served in flag-waving delight,
some left mere echo of lost voice
that once had graced the roads of home
in joy and prayer and play.
What would he say if had known
where we’ve come to, today?
Would we be still deserve his death?
Or would he whisper to the sky
that final raspy rattle-breath
of those about to die
shame for being played the fool
by those who only sought to rule?
LikeLike
Thanks for the remind that it is Veteran’s Day! It slipped my mind as I woke, but I know what a valuable day it is for our history, our family (we have some vets in our extended family), and for our safety. I love your perspective on voting too. I’m a purple kind of voter…I vote for the person and their stances not their party line. Have a beautiful weekend!
jennifer, FMF
LikeLike
Hear, hear! We’re turning politicians into our saviors instead of relying on the only Savior. God tells us that things in this world will only worsen (but he wins in the end). Our challenge is to love extremely.
LikeLike
Thank you for your thoughts. Living in the UK, I must admit that sometimes the American political system is a mystery to me – but then sometimes our own seems like a circus.
Just stopped by from FMF#14
LikeLike