Appreciation, not ignorance, please

So as I was driving to pick up Julia and Jacob from school, I passed a bunch of picketers. Driving past them I was able to glimpse their signs: "honk to end the war", "the IRS is of the devil", "banking is evil", "it costs 4k per family to support the war", ect. The biggest sign was how much the war costs. It was annoying and made me upset to see people do this. I understand a bit (about the war part...the other concepts were beyond me). I understand that people protest the war. Well, I don't like it, but I support it. The war on terror will probably never end. There are too many terrorists out there--knock one down and 3 more pop up it seems. But at least we're doing something about it. Not just being a bunch of sitting ducks turning the other way while otrocities happen around us.

Back to the picketers....

Behind them, a few feet away, stood a lone soldier holding up a sign which said "thank you for supporting me". I glowed with pride seeing him standing alone...not asking for anything--just to say thank you. It really touched me...seeing him standing there next to people who have nothing better to do than to complain about our government and the people who defend it and our country. Honestly, like a bunch of honking is really going to solve our countries issues. I soooo wish I had my camera at the time.

My nephew witnessed what was going on during the drive home. I explained what the signs were all about and pointed out the soldier and his sign. Nathan got quiet as he contemplated the scene. I told him why some people don't support the war--it's dangerous, it costs families some money, people die...but then we also discussed the positive notes....we help protect our families from more 9/11s...help protect others in their own oppressive countries...protect freedom. Then I posed a question to him: Is it worth war? Is freedom (and all other positives) worth war and all the negatives that come with it? He pondered that for a minute or two and then said with firm conviction "yes". He's only 10 but he knows that we can't let the bad guys run around taking over countries. He wants our defended. He knows that people are being killed. He talked about being worried that the bad guys are killing children also. I wish the picketers could have listened to our talk...the soldier too. I know my nephew learned a lesson or two from that scene...and I gained a greater appreciation for our soldiers.