Genuine Kindness Unites People 4/24/22

 Good Morning,

It seems like it has been a long time since I sat at my desk and wrote my morning message. My cup of Door County Blackberry Shortcake  Coffee seems like and old friend that stopped by for a visit. 

Yesterday I had the extreme honor to accompany a good friend on mine on his honor flight to Washington DC. My friend Cliff served our country in Germany during World War Two, For those of you who have not heard of an honor flight, it is a day when veterans and a guardian are flown to Washington DC to honor their service to the United States. At this time veterans from World War Two, the Korean War, and Vietnam wars are honored all day for their service to our country.  It starts very early in the morning. They are dressed in a shirt and jacket that signifies what war they represent once they arrive at the airport the day begins.  The day ends late with a parade of honor for all of them when they return home to the airport. 

Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God's people, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. 

Now mind you, the ages of these brave men and women vary from late 60's to ninety some years old. Some are in very good shape and others not so good. For quite a few, the wars took a toll on their bodies. Some need a lot of help during the day and others no help at all. All day long we were surrounded by volunteers who made it their goal to make sure our veterans and us guardians had every thing we needed. 

Here is what I noticed though. Not one time did I not see veterans, or guardians not answer the call to assist others when needed. Extending kindness to each other seemed to unite us all in serving one another. Another example of kindness was the public who stopped along their day to say thank you to our veterans for their service. A great part of our day was to tour the war monuments in the DC area, especially the ones from the three wars mentioned above.  One example that brings tears to my eyes was when a group of girls (middle school age) lined up and asked my veteran what his name was and then each of them shook his hand or hugged him and said thank you. My estimate was about forty girls bestowed their version of honor upon Cliff. I know there were tears in his eyes. 

So I said to myself this morning "why can't every day be like yesterday". Not every act of kindness is witnessed or shared with others, But if we open our eyes and look beyond the ugliness of a sin bloated world we will still see that kindness rules and we can and should join in whenever possible.

In closing, always thank a veteran whenever you can. Assist others as much as you can and let kindness be your guide, to unity with others. 

God bless,

Marty