Sitting in the living room at my Aunt Tommy and Uncle Bill's today in Wausau I thought I was bored, because I was sitting quietly. Then I realized what a normal, comfortable life I lead. There are 14 relatives here including two cousins that had not seen each other in more than 40 years. So, some were sitting around the dining room with dessert plates pushed aside, talking about old times and future times; some were in the living room watching football; others were playing mancala, cards or napping. I was pretending to read a Newsweek magazine, which I did, sort of. What I was really doing was listening (aka eavesdropping). Everything was just normal, folks were talking about Christmas shopping, kids, getting hair cut for Locks of Love, state championship football games, bad TV commercials, good TV commercials, the best Brandy, the worst Brandy, Granny Smith apples vs. Bayfield County apples. You get the idea. I was smiling to myself when I went back to the magazine. I flipped the page and read an araticle by two retired military men whose sons had died in Iraq.
I was immediately immensely more thankful for my comfortable life and gave a silent prayer of thanks to the men and women who have fought to make that comfortable life in a country of free choice possible.
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