 |
| Emma, ready for ballet recital in New York. |
Regardless of who our President may be at any given time, there will always be tough critics who judge his efforts to be insufficient or over the top. Surprisingly frequently, winning presidential candidates, upon gaining access to top secret information, realize their criticisms of past administrations have been less justified than they imagined and end up carrying on the same policies.
The reason for this is that our military and intelligence agencies work dilligently to maintain peace, tranquility and freedom from terror within our borders, in outposts abroad and for each individual citizen wherever he or she may be in the world, regardless of who the Commander in Chief may be.
 |
| Memorial Day on the bay. |
As citizens of the United States of America, we nonetheless enjoy tremendous freedom, greater than that dreamt about by most of mankind throughout history.
This freedom includes the ability to travel the world, and while the possibilities of zero risk is impossible anywhere, our government does an amazing job overall.
We have the opportunity to explore this great country of ours, and to learn its remarkable history. And then move beyond our borders to the Cradle of Civilization and also homes of tyranny and oppression, learning from our journeys and researching what we have seen firsthand.
Whether you choose to cruise through Canada/New England, explore ancient Greece and Rome or river cruise through China, you will be amazed.
 |
| Wes in Myknonos |
And if you really don't feel like learning too much, you can soak in the beauty of regions visited and still have a remarkable trip. I must admit that while ziplining through the jungles of Roatan or snorkeling at Black Rock on Ka'anapali Beach, I'm not thinking much about the history of the regions, but I certainly enjoy those experiences.
 |
| Retired cannon in Bermuda |
I thank God daily for giving me the opportunity to appreciate this amazing garden planet, and the awareness to actually take advantage of the situation.
On this Memorial Day Weekend, as we enjoy our freedom to chomp down delicious barbecued country ribs and maccaroni salad with our families, as we step aboard a friend's sail boat or to the plate for a family softball game, as we board a cruise to take us to far off worlds,or as we just recline in our La-Z-Boys to watch a Seinfeld episode for the third time, we should all take time to thank God for those carrying the burden of protecting our freedoms. While no one is perfect, we should appreciate their efforts to sort through the troubling situations so that we don't need to focus on them as we enjoy our lives.
