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Hello my dear FRiends ... First, I'd like to thank you so much for your prayers for my mom, who passed suddenly yesterday. I can't tell you how much it meant to me and my family. While I was talking with my sister, she mentioned that a friend of hers in the South will be undergoing serious surgery tomorrow morning ... and that her friend is caring for her young son by herself. Her name is Teresa, and I ask that you lift her and her son up in your prayers, and that her surgery is successful. God bless you...

Psalm 118: 1 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 550 BC (for the sake of argument) is when this Psalm was written. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good…… Fast forward to 1621 in a little colony in what is now Massachusetts, we again see people gathering together to give thanks. Who were they giving thanks to? Did they throw the celebration as thanks to the Indians for not killing them? Was it done to show the people back in England and Holland how successful they were in the new...

Thanksgiving is a time for gathering with family and friends, recounting our blessings, and enjoying the bounty of our land. But have you noticed that often we project an attitude of dissatisfaction, discontentedness, and criticism rather than a spirit of thankfulness? The definition of gratitude is “thankful appreciation for favors or benefits received.” If we consider the benefits of salvation, and the advantages of living in God’s favor, it’s hard to imagine Christians failing to live a life of “thankful appreciation.” Often, we try to consign thankfulness to one worship service, banquet, family gathering, or date on the calendar. But...

Thanksgiving has become the holiday most associated with a celebration of gluttony, heavy on the gravy and light on the “Thanks” part. Be honest, have you spent more time thinking about your list of "Thanks" or the grocery list? Did you get the Pecan Pie? Food is the focus, followed by sports, napping and elastic waist bands which of course only serve to allow for more food....

Every Thanksgiving season, I am reminded of the ten lepers in John’s Gospel. You know these ten, Jesus is on his way to Galilee when they spot him and begin to cry out for a healing. Our compassion filled Jesus grants this request and the ten rush off to present themselves to the priest. They will be announced clean and allowed to return to their families, their faith, and their lives. One stops in the midst of the joy, realizing both the source of the joy and the importance of gratitude, and returns to express both realizations to his newfound...

At 9, Madieu Williams immigrated to Prince George's County from Sierra Leone, one of the poorest nations on Earth. The move gave his family a sense of perspective. His mother told him over and over that if he ever found himself in a position to make a difference, he should do it. At 28, Williams finds himself in a relatively prosperous position: He plays free safety for the Minnesota Vikings. And Wednesday, he made a difference. In a morning news conference, the University of Maryland announced the creation of the Madieu Williams Center for Global Health Initiatives. The former U-Md....

Teenagers, Gratitude, and a Culture of Affluence Holland, MI. Like many readers, or perhaps more accurately, like many readers with children, I read with great interest Mark Mitchell’s piece on “Cultivating Gratitude [1].” As the father of three children I have long made such cultivation a central concern, but must confess only middling success in the endeavor. One of the central difficulties we face as parents is the paucity of tools we bring to the task. One of our main tools is the use of rhetoric, but at a certain point – oh, let’s say the teenage years – parental...

June 6 is upon us, but how many of us recognize the significance of the day? How many of us pause to remember the heroism shown and the sacrifices made that day? As I write these words and you read them, we are enjoying one of the freedoms that those men fought to preserve, but are we aware of how fortunate we are?

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2009 – Operation Gratitude will receive $232,948 from Target as part of the company's first online giving campaign. The California-based troop-support group was one of 10 charities selected by Target to receive a percentage of $3 million based on votes cast in its online "Bullseye Gives" contest, hosted by the social-networking Web site Facebook. "I would like to thank everyone who voted for Operation Gratitude,” Carolyn Blashek, Operation Gratitude founder, said. “Each vote paid to send an additional care package to our deployed troops. Target and our voters have truly made a difference to the men...

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2009 – Country music megastar Toby Keith has performed for rowdy, appreciative troops more than 130 times over seven straight years. But during this year’s “America’s Toughest Tour,” he said, “The boys and girls were rockin' and laughin' like never before.” Country music megastar Toby Keith started his seventh USO tour in Afghanistan April 21, 2009, and has been putting on shows at a series of remote forward operating bases, most of which haven't had any outside entertainment come through in six months. Here, Keith entertains Marines at FOB #2 in Bakwa. Looking over his shoulder,...

FRiends, today marks ten years that I have been on FreeRepublic. I want to say thank you to Jim Robinson for providing this site and for providing a forum for conservatives to bounce ideas off each other and to wax eloquently(or just plain wax ad nauseum)on the political issues of the day.I want to say thank you to all of you for the insights and knowledge so freely shared here that enhances the understanding of a myriad of subjects every day, and which has helped me to make sense of the events of the last ten years. Although many in...

The Feast we celebrate in the “secular” arena today reveals that there really is no separation between the secular and the spiritual. After all, God is the Creator of all and the Author of life. He is also the source of all that is good - whether He is acknowledged to be so or not. As the beloved disciple John said “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.” We will love today. We will reach out to one another and to the less fortunate. When we...

A top Iraqi official visited wounded American troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Tuesday to thank them for their part in ending Saddam Hussein’s rule in his country. “We have come … to express our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these great warriors, soldiers, in freeing the Iraqi people and in helping us in Iraq recover from tyranny and dictatorship,” Jawad Karim al-Bolani, Iraq’s minister of the interior, said through a translator to a handful of journalists in the lobby of the medical center. “We also want to express our gratitude to the...

"The Giants will have a chance to win two consecutive games at home for the first time since they beat the Padres and Mets exactly one month ago. But even more exciting will be the opportunity for both teams to play a game in honor of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. In celebration of the Fourth of July, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and the Giants will honor American troops worldwide by televising Wednesday night's game in 176 countries and on 200 U.S. Navy ships at sea. Authentic Heroes: Telecast for the Troops is part of...

While consuming too much homemade potato salad, hot dogs, low carb ice cream and diet soda, Mary hates it when I drink that stuff, I watched several Memorial Day tributes on TV. I am in total awe of the extraordinary Americans who have given us the prosperous and free America, so easily taken for granted today. Without question, God has shed His Grace on thee. WWII vet and Hollywood actor Charles Darnay was stabbed eight times by enemy bayonets in combat. He incredibly killed them all. This weekend, Darnay received an award for his bravery sixty years ago. With every...

Under Statistics & Data: This is what showing now of this video and thanks for viewing o7jimmy. #66 - Most Discussed (Today) - Pets & Animals #83 - Most Viewed (Today) - Pets & Animals - New Zealand #67 - Most Viewed (Today) - Pets & Animals #78 - Most Viewed (Today) - Pests & Animals – Russia I would lide to say, Thank you.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2008 – A troop-support group in a small southern Michigan town is working to raise public awareness and appreciation for troops and their families. “‘Operation Never Forgotten’ bridges the gap between our military and civilian worlds by creating nonpartisan national awareness advertising for our troops, veterans and their families,” Linda Kelly, the group’s president and founder, said. “(The organization) has rolled out over 500 billboards across America on highways and in airports from Times Square to L.A.” The billboards display an unmistakable military theme with phrases encouraging viewers to remember and support the military and their...

Col. Gadson with the Giants and Coach Coughlin at his left. He had just delivered the football more than 80 times to Eli Manning from a squatting position in subzero temperatures. The last thing New York Giants center Shaun O'Hara wanted to do Sunday night was bend down yet again. But as O'Hara stood in the nearly emptied visitors' locker room at Lambeau Field and talked about his team's 23-20 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game, he stopped in mid-sentence and leaned forward to clasp hands with a man in a wheelchair whom he...

Everyday Americans, true patriots to the core, came out in the sleet, wind, rain (and yes, sometimes under bright blue skies and warm rays of sunshine) to raise the flag of the United States and bring real support for our troops, the kind that keeps them rolling when they miss their families and have to face another day of fighting a cowardly but lethal enemy. Our last stop before Iraq was at Liberty Park at the World Trade Center grounds, or, as I like to call it, Ground Hero, because it inspires the men and women on the frontlines of...

Four back-breaking, soul-crushing, nation-rending years later, U.S. troops are at last scoring remarkable successes in Iraq - saving lives, calming strife and fostering the conditions necessary to build a self-governing country from its own rubble. There are thousands of reasons why the picture has brightened in these past few months. One of them is Army Spec. Pierce Clouden, of Canarsie, Brooklyn, who has been stationed at Camp Taji, northwest of Baghdad, since August as part of the "surge." "Don't know when I am going home, but it's not any time soon," Clouden told us last week. "I love my job,...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2007 – In an effort to lift spirits and say “thank you” during the holiday season, 10 area chefs presented recovering servicemembers and their families with a mouth-watering meal last night. Army Staff Sgt. Mia Sidlasky receives a bowl of stew during the fifth annual Virginia Ann Wiedmaier Holiday Dinner prepared by local chefs for injured troops and their families at the Mologne House Hotel at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 2, 2007. Sidlasky is recovering from a broken back and internal injuries she suffered in July 2006 in Iraq. Photo by...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2007 – Connecting supportive Americans with deployed troops keeps one Colorado-based support group busy. “In the last two years and eight months, we have grown to 16,000 registered supporters,” said Ann Johnson, founder of Adopt A US Soldier. But that number doesn’t accurately represent the volume of volunteers, she added. “Many schools, synagogues, churches, companies and organizations are counted as one in our system, and yet the supporters are many more,” she explained. And they don’t just live in the United States. Johnson said Adopt A US Soldier has supporters in 52 countries. “It’s a very...

FORT LEE, Va., Oct. 19, 2007 – U.S. Army Spc. Momo S. Larmena Jr. has made a life out of giving back to his country, first to his native Liberia and now to the United States, his adopted country. Larmena, 42, joined the U.S. Army Reserves six months ago as a way to repay the debt he feels he owes to the American soldier who saved his life in Liberia.The former chemist had his first brush with tragedy in 1990 in his native Liberia, a small West African country settled by free American blacks in 1821. More than 200,000...

There’s a common thread in recalling those greatly loved or respected, or both: “If only...” If only I had visited, called or written more, to say “I love you,” You’ve meant so much,” or simply, “Thank you.” Parents; my favorite aunt, uncle and cousin; teachers, mentors, pastors, friends ... even persons whole I barely knew or know only through their writings, speeches, recordings and performances spark “If only” musings. I met Harry Truman just once, but the more I learn of the feisty Missourian, the more I wish that I really had known him. Somewhere, he chuckles as he rises...

« Wolfowitz Forced To Resign Based On A Trumped Up Charge | Main Remember Posted by Mike on May 26, 2007 at 11:52 AM As you read, turn on your speakers and listen to: "In a Mother's Eyes" by Andrew Dean. "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for another."From "Fallen Heroes" a photo essay by Daniel J. Wood. Location: Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola Florida. "Your silent tents of green We deck with fragrant flowers; Yours has the suffering been, The memory shall be ours."- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - Memorial Day ,the holiday ,began as...

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2007 – As Memorial Day nears, so does the start of Operation Gratitude’s fourth “Patriotic Drive” to send care packages to troops serving overseas. The California-based troop support group has been collecting and sorting items for the drive since March, Carolyn Blashek, the group’s founder said. Volunteers will begin assembling the packages during the Memorial Day weekend and continue to do so for three additional weekends, concluding the project on June 30 and July 1. “We want to continue our mission to lift morale, put smiles on servicemembers’ faces and provide the American people an avenue...

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2007 – Servicemembers and their families are being treated to free movies and refreshments, thanks to a member of the motion picture exhibition industry. National Amusements has teamed up with the United Service Organizations of Metropolitan New York to offer free movies, popcorn and small drinks to active-duty military personnel and their families through April 30. Beginning May 1, all National Amusements movie theaters in the United States will continue to show their appreciation to military personnel by offering a discounted general admission rate of $7, with $5 rates for matinees and children. The partnership with...

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WASHINGTON, March 16, 2007 – Utah will observe “Thank a Soldier Day” tomorrow and March 19 to express gratitude to the servicemembers who protect America’s freedoms. Tomorrow’s public events will feature military equipment displays, a climbing wall, camouflage face-painting for children, concessions, and music. Speakers will include local and state politicians and military personnel. March 19 is the official, state-designated day for the observance, but organizers said most activities take place on the Saturday before the official day to facilitate high participation. “We want to create a culture of gratitude for the men and women that serve our country,”...

"You are privileged to be an American" I just heard these words from an unexpected source. I had called for technical support regarding my wireless router. I had to wait for a computer function to run, and while I waited the young man I was speaking with asked where I was from. From my "accent" he had guessed that I was an American, and I confirmed to him that I was. That is when I heard those words, and they are so true. He said that some people would be willing to kill to get here if necessary. He spoke...

In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". trencherman \TREN-chuhr-muhn\ noun : A hearty eater. Example sentences: Expecting that the experience would be too exciting for him to find time to eat, we were amazed to watch him consume a trencherman's breakfast, scarfing down French toast like it was going out of style.-- Sheila Rothenberg, "Disney Bridges the Generation Gap", USA Today, March, 2001 In the space of the last five years, he fearlessly gained 40 pounds, displaying a trencherman's appetite...

BOGOR, Indonesia: Nearly 150 people rallied Wednesday in support of U.S. President George W. Bush's planned visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation — a rare sight amid rising anger over the U.S.-led invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. "Welcome Mr. Bush, president of the world's most powerful country!" said a banner carried by 100 demonstrators in the city of Bogor, where the American leader is scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday. Supporters also turned out by the dozens in the Sulawesi town of Manado. Small, peaceful demonstrations against Bush's trip have taken place in cities across...

S. Marine Corps Cpl. Shaun Sanders' account of what it means to serve his country was one that watered the eyes of many, mine included. This fine young man, for our newspaper's Veteran's Day edition, was asked to write what it means to be a veteran, from the younger generation's perspective. He wrote about returning home from a tour in Iraq last year with about 20 exhausted comrades when they unexpectedly came across a crowd of strangers at a Dallas airport. The people were dressed in red, white and blue, cheering and clapping during a public display of gratitude for...

Today is Veterans Day. It has a special meaning to me both as a veteran and as a father of a veteran who gave his young life (he was 21) believing in freedom for all regardless of nationality. As many of you know, Case, as we called him, was killed in Iraq on Sept. 25. We will never know what he would have achieved had he not been killed in Iraq, but we do know what he achieved while alive. I remember him always smiling and fun to be around. He was a loyal friend who never hesitated to help...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2006 -- While donations have been arriving at Operation Gratitude’s headquarters for some time, the group’s Holiday Drive 2006 officially kicks off on Veterans Day weekend, the group’s founder said. A recipient of one of Operation Gratitude's Holiday Drive 2005 packages expresses his appreciation for the care package. Operation Gratitude's Holiday Drive 2006 is currently under way. Courtesy photo  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Four weekends, eight days total, have been set aside to pack up and ship the boxes, Carolyn Blashek said. Those weekends include Nov. 11-12, 24-25 and Dec. 16-17 and 30-31. “Clearly...

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TIRANA, Albania, Sept. 26, 2006 – Albanian soldiers will remain in Iraq until the job is done, the country’s defense minister promised Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld here today. With plans to thank Albanian leaders for their support in the global war on terror and to meet with defense ministers from southeastern European nations, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived here this afternoon after a brief visit to Montenegro. “Let me declare here, Mr. Secretary, that the Albanian armed forces will stay on the side of the American armed forces in Iraq until the mission will be over,” Albanian Defense...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2006 – Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai expressed his people's gratitude to U.S. servicemembers during a visit to the Pentagon today. When a Pentagon Channel reporter asked if he had a message for the troops, Karzai replied: "I was yesterday in the Walter Reed hospital. Ma'am, I was -- let me find the right word -- I was taken by emotions there, to put it in simple terms, of wounded soldiers and of a lady officer who had worked in Afghanistan, having six children, six boys. She was still helping the Afghan people. "So my message for the...

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2006 – They were young and old, college students and retirees, rural visitors and city natives, government employees and private-sector workers, uniformed military personnel and civilians, black and white, Asian and Hispanic; but they all shared a common sense of purpose today. They all wanted to see the Pentagon’s 9/11 memorial. They all wanted to pay tribute to the memory and cause of those who died, on Sept. 11, 2001. For only the second time, Pentagon officials today allowed the general public access to the building’s memorial to the 184 people killed when American Airlines flight 77...

Let's git 'er done ! .

INDIANAPOLIS, May 27, 2006 – About two dozen soldiers and Marines watched intently as Indy car pit crews changed tires and gassed up their cars during the fourth annual Checkers/Rally's Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge here yesterday. Soldiers and Marines participate in an Indy 500 tradition -- kissing the bricks -- though they added their own touch. At the bottom of a push up, they kissed the only remaining bricks from the original track at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Before the competition began, the servicemembers were warmly welcomed...

Bring on the fireworks !!Let's push this fundraiser over the top !!

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CHICAGO, March 28, 2006 – Grassroots supporters of America's troops agree their efforts are acts of gratitude, not charity. America Supports You member Christina Finn, founder of the Patriotic Pillow Project, speaks with Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michelle Schuerman, a public affairs officer at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill. They met during the America Supports You regional meeting in Chicago, March 27. Photo by Paul X. Rutz  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. "It's our way of saying thank you," Anna Sherony, co-chair of the nonprofit "Wounded Heroes Foundation," said. "The hardest part is to get (the troops) to call...

To Whom It May Concern: In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life. To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months. To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting,...

Driving liberals crazy .. and having fun doing it! Support Free Republic! Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com Thank you paulat for the graphic