I Walked Out of Hobby Lobby Today Crying . . .

This afternoon, a first happened for me.  I walked out of Hobby Lobby in Oxford with tears streaming down my face!  I really hadn’t planned on that happening, and I will never forget what led up to it.

It may help if I give a little background to a “tradition” I have when it comes to our military members, past and present.  When I see someone who is wearing a uniform or a hat that signifies that they once were in the United States military, I try to go out of my way to tell them that I appreciate their service to the country.  I’m not always successful in reaching out to all that I see, but I do try.

Today was no exception.  As I walked into the foyer of Hobby Lobby to leave the store, I noticed, sitting on one of the display chairs, an elderly man with a walking cane in front of him.  As I came closer to him, I made eye contact and smiled at him, noticing that he was wearing a hat with “Strategic Air Command” on the front of it.

When I smiled at the old Veteran, he told me that he was waiting there on his wife who was doing some shopping inside the store.  I replied something , and then that little voice inside me prompted me, “Thank him for his service to our country.”  I reached out my hand and as I shook his, I told him Thank You and how grateful I was that he and men like him had sacrificed so much for our country’s freedom.  I had not got all the words out of my mouth before he started crying!  His tears caught me completely off guard!  I immediately wrapped my arm around his shoulder and he seemed so grateful that I had acknowledged him and his service.

I walked out of the lobby with tears streaming down my face, and when I met Eddie at another store, I had to share the incident with him.  Eddie thought that maybe the elderly man had been in Vietnam, and too many of our Vietnam Vets were treated poorly when they returned home.  Many have never been welcomed home or thanked, which is a crying shame.  My mission is to change that!

I was so glad that I was able to touch an old Veteran’s heart today and pray that it will not be the last one that I can thank for his service.  If you don’t make “thanking” our military personnel a practice, maybe you should think about it!

Comments

Grumps and Granna said…
The Vietnam veterans returned without a lot of fan fare or thanks from their country. Those whose body was returned did not meet streets lined with honorees as we often saw in recent conflicts. Thanks for extending gratitude even though it is many years later.
5:29 AM
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