A Big Thank You

As most of you know, I recently returned from a 10-day cruise with the mom, the dad, and a friend. I had to fly to Miami to get on board the ship. A rather normal occurrence, wouldn't you say? Yes, except...

Several weeks ago, amongst all the emails that I have received, I opened and read one about gratitude to our soldiers. It shows folks in an airport making a very simple gesture to our uniformed friends that expresses our gratitude to them without creating a huge scene. It shows people placing their right hand over their heart and then pulling it away from their chest, palm up, until it is even with their waist. It is a simple, yet sincere, way of saying thank you. See http://www.gratitudecampaign.org

So, when I was in the Boston airport heading to my gate to catch a flight to Atlanta where I would change and fly on to Miami, I saw a fellow in complete desert camo getup heading my way. He was young and alone. I simply made the gratitude gesture with a smile. He nodded, smiled and went on his way.

It brought tears to my eyes. I silently wept tears as I walked to my departing gate. As it was, he was on my flight, yet we never made eye contact again. I am sure he was on his way to Ft. Stewart - where my nephew was stationed before being shipped to Iraq.

If I was able to make one soldier a little happier by a simple, quiet gesture, then it couldn't get any better. I just hope that someone will do the same thing for our soldier when he is alone in an airport.

Thank you, Scoots!

Shennie