Who are our Veterans? A quick glance of a Military Family today.

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With Veterans’ Day approaching, I wanted to give you a quick glimpse of an incredible military family whom I’m proud to call friends. Both parents attended school at West Point, and they have been back in the Hudson Valley for the past couple of years. As they close in on an unavoidable aspect of military life, family separation, they and many others prepare for time apart during holidays, birthdays, special occasions and sometimes the most difficult- just ordinary days at home. The one who dons the uniform isn’t the only one that serves in a military family, but every member of the family, down to the cat, sacrifices something that we all occasionally take for granted: time with loved ones.

Although my five years as a military spouse feels like a completely different life than the one that I am living now, those years had a lasting impression on who I am today. Many of my friends are either veterans, active duty, spouses, or a combination of them both. I forget sometimes that not everyone knows someone that is serving our country, and so I am always a little surprised when the Veterans Day passes without even a mention other than what sale is going on over the weekend. I encourage you to reach out and get to know those among your community that are serving or that have served. Say thank you, and just take the time to acknowledge what they have sacrificed.

There are a few simple and easy ways for you to get involved. A single search on the internet will undoubtedly yield results if you look for an organization that combines a passion of yours with supporting our military. Whether your passion is poetry or pottery (Veteran Artist Program), rock climbing or parasailing (Outward Bound), hiking or marathons (Team Red White & Blue)- there is an organization out there serving our veterans. If you want to donate, but don’t know where to start, look to your local VA Hospital or Vet Centers, the USO, or connect with The Bob Woodruff Foundation, which aids many various groups that support veterans and service members.

Everyday you have an option to bring light into someone else’s darkness. This Veterans Day, and beyond, promise me that you will do at least one thing to bring your light to a Veteran.