giving thanks

life is often referred to as a climb.

it's definitely not a walk in the park;
more like a scale up the side of a mountain.

it's definitely not a solo journey either.

there are people who have helped us along the way,
people we've helped.

sometimes they are the ones who know everything about us.

sometimes, we don't even know their names;
much less their lives,
or why they took a moment out of them to blindly benefit ours.

however,
we all have the same goal;
to get to the top of life's climb.

to see the panoramic view we've dreamed of;

the marriage of a daughter,
the first steps in what will become a home,
the birth of a child.

chances are,
you're standing on someone else's shoulders
to see that view.

chances are,
someone's standing on yours
to see it too.

chances are,
you don't know whose body
those shoulders belong to.

that's why it shouldn't be too much
to say thank you
just because.

it shouldn't be too much
to have a day to give thanks
just because we don't know.

all we know
is they've gotten us to where we are now.

i don't know whose shoulders i stand on,
or whose feet stand on mine,
but i'm thankful all the same.

because without them
both of them,
i wouldn't be where i am today.

happy thanksgiving everyone :)

trailblazers

a thank you to all of those who are serving, have served and will serve in our armed forces on this veterans' day.

each footstep is a branding
in the walk of a war veteran.

each stone we pass
each wreath we lay
each emblem we bestow

marks the end of someone's story.

they all begin the same;
with a smile,
a commitment,
an inspiration.

they all end the same;
with the haunting of a heart,
the search for a shadow,
with a tear.

it is what happens in between
that determines how much we cry
how much we wish
how much we try to remember
how much we hope to forget.

it is what happens in between,
a battle
a sacrifice,
a miracle,

that forms the path.

each soldier's journey follows a map
the exposition ;
watching that plane crash into the twin towers,

the climax;
facing those bombers on the battlefield,

the falling action;
returning home with one less brother by your side,
one less son with whom to play catch,
one less bride to walk down the aisle,

until the final words are written.

for each solider's road we follow,
another dozen are left untraveled.

for each gesture we make that tries to honor these heroes
tries to capture this precious gift they've gvien us,
that has ensured we've been kept safe all these years,

for each veteran that comes home safely,
another is lost;
another becomes one to honor.

we never asked for protection.

we never expected these sacrfices to be made.

we never considered what life would be like without them.

this veteran's day
let's take a walk in their shoes.

let's follow their path,
with their feet.

let's forge our own.