A Different Christmas Poem - Passing on a Tribute to our Men & Women in the Military

This was sent to me by a friend who is a former Marine. (Is there such a thing as former Marine?) I have a lot of respect for and gratitude to the men & women who serve our country and many others protecting our right to be free. The message was asked to be forwarded, so I'm posting it here, in hopes that many will see it.

Thank you to our military, the men & women on the front lines of freedom. Thank you for being there at Christmas and other holidays! Thank you for all that you do for us!

Love Bob, Heather and Kids

... Begin forwarded message :-)

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the
sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

'What are you doing?' I asked without fear,
'Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!'
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said 'Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.'
'It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.

No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,'
Then he sighed, 'That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.'
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.

I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother...
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.'

' So go back inside,' he said, 'harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right.'
'But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
'Give you money,' I asked, 'or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son.'

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
'Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.'

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many
people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our
U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these
festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people
stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

Humbled by the Giver, (or, It's Good to be a Sap This Time of Year)

We just got this envelope in the mail the other day. The people that we got it from could have had a justified begging & whine session, about how hard things have been lately on charities, about how badly they need us to give. But no, they decided to give a small gift and this bit of encouragement to pass on in a small, non-obtrusive card. So, I wanted to share it, and some other small bits of what encourage me. This time of year it is especially important for us to look beyond ourselves and share.

Hope
"Of all the forces that make for a better world, none is so powerful as hope.
With hope, one can think, one can work, one can dream. If you have hope, you have everything."

Faith
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Love
"No greater love have a man than this, than that he lay down his life for another."

There are many reasons throughout a holiday season, that we can get caught in the rush and forget the person in front of us may also have just come from a bad day at work, or from a family member in the hospital, or from a layoff, or tough time at the doctor or lost a family member to a war or illness. It's so easy for us to forget that what is in front of us, isn't a what, but a who. That person is a brother or uncle or mom or sister.

Maybe for them, the holidays are that tough time of year, where a simple kindness can take them through to the next day, or the next month or the next year.

That's why I'm always blathering on about sharing a hope and a smile. Sometimes we have to step outside of ourselves and the problems we are living with and think about sharing a warm chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk, or hot cup of cocoa or coffee with the person in front of or behind us.

Let's purpose to make Christmas more than a sales booster or rush for the next best thing, instead...

lets share hope and a smile.

Hope - The Real Thing

Every tomorrow and every today have the chance to be a better day.

There is hope for tomorrow.

There is hope for our financial futures, there is hope for our physical future and most importantly, there is hope for our spiritual futures.

It's not too much to be who we are. It's also not too much to be who we should be, when we go forward in God's strength.

So, why talk about God's strength, not just about people strength? Because we wear out, we get tired. The weather turns gray and wintery and we get blue. The next thing happens and we change again. We as people can be swayed by every inner turmoil to inner peace and back again.

God doesn't change. The Creator of the foundations of time itself and the foundations of this world cares about each of us individually and personally. (Psalm 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!)

He stepped out of His place, into ours. He carried a cross, to take our punishment and He rose again, to give us eternity. And while He walked among us, He promised us His care, as a Father. He told us there would be storms, and He promised us His peace during them. He promised us protection. He never said there wouldn't be battles, but He did say He would fight them for us.

If you think about that, it's awe-inspiring. If we think about the gifts that God has given us, about what He has done for us, it's amazing. He even takes it further. God tells us that we can come to Him directly, because of what His Son did.

So, what is the practical application? It's looking every day for a way to encourage, a way to share hope. Sometimes it's smiling and encouraging, even when we don't feel like it.

Hope doesn't always come in a basket or a trinket. Sometimes we find it in a quiet voice saying it will be ok, take the next step. Other times we find it in the beauty of a single icicle or the intricacy of a single leaf on a tree. Sometimes we find it in the peace of the woods or the power of a mountain landscape or rushing river.

Sometimes hope is found in the eyes of those we love, and sometimes we are meant to share the hope we have inside us to make that person's eyes come to life again. We have a choice every day, to share hope or tear it down. I want to share the hope I have inside of me with you. I want to share with you the beauty of life, of creation of God's grace and strength in the midst of all of the bad stuff.

When the "real" world creeps in on Wall Street and banks and the fear of losing everything. When job losses abound and everything is so heavy we don't know what to do, where do we turn? When the lights go down, when health won't cooperate, who do we lean on?

Personally, I look for a reason to give. I look to God to hold me up when I'm not strong. I thank Him for His blessings.

I remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:29, 30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

I also remember His words in Luke 12:22-26 ..."Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?"

Sometimes we spend so much time worrying, we forget to share the hope that is in us. We forget to give that smile. That strong, encouraging word that they can make it! We may think it's sappy, but its not. In times of struggle, lets stand together and spread hope & smiles like the person next to us may not see another for a lifetime.

Lets not forget to share the beauty of this life God gave us and give people hope for a future of good in the midst of all their circumstances.

Be bold! Share hope & a smile today! :-)