A Break from the Animals

Went to a DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) meeting today, and there were Vietnam vets there talking about a few of the programs where veterans are making a difference. One of the programs is in our legal system. When vets get in trouble with the law, Hillsborough County has set up a system where there is one judge who hears cases on these men and women. There are programs and rules these people have to adhere to and when they go through the program, they do not have to go to prison. When these people graduate this program, so far, there are no repeats. In other words, they have been helped. And from what the vets said, the  mentoring does not stop after they have been successful. Other vets are always there to lend a helping hand through this life.

The other thing I learned today (which I find staggering) is that one third of the homeless people are veterans. We, as Americans, should be ashamed that first we have so many homeless, but secondly we have men and women serve our country and we can not even give them a job and help when they are on their own soil. That statement is very broad and does not even touch on the real topic, but if we were to scan it, that is what we see.

During the course of talking to people about our ancestors coming to this land, I spoke with someone who had a great analogy. As she was tracing her genealogy, she found that one of her ancestors came from Europe on a boat where the people were so squished together that they could not even lie down. They had little to no food and very little water. One woman gave birth in these conditions while it took them 2 months to cross the ocean. Of course, many people died on the journey, but those who made it are the ones who formed this great nation of ours.

This story makes me think of history that has occurred in my life time. I remember when the Cubans came across the water to Florida, and many were lost at sea due to unsafe boats, but those who made it survived to become Americans. And today, many people will be visiting Cuba as the regulations are lifting. The same held true to the Haitians some years ago, and today the same scenario is occurring with the Syrian people crossing the Mediterranean or crossing the barren land to get to European countries. As it was in Vietnam, the land was destroyed; too many people died, and today it is a destination spot for everyone to visit. I can assume with time we will once again be able to visit the history of some of the earliest traces of man, those known in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. History repeats itself over and over. I am old enough and well read enough that I know that today is little different from 2-3000 years ago. But, maybe in the process of living this life, there are some who can better their conditions to live in a safe environment.

So, I leave you tonight with these thoughts.

Until tomorrow...have a great day.