As I sit at the computer, it is Veterans Day. I am thankful for the sacrifices our soldiers have made. They have paid the price to defend freedom and democracy, both here and around the globe.

The brave men and women who donned the uniform are not the only ones who paid the price, but also their families and loved ones. Their sacrifice of spending time with their loved ones while they served this great nation is a price appreciated by all Americans, and we thank them for this gift to our nation.

At church we honored our vets, prayed for them and their families, and lifted up the families who had members on active duty. I tried to thank all those who were sitting close to me for their service. I also dropped my dad a note of thanks for his service. He doesn’t talk much about his time in the service, and I don’t thank him enough for serving.

We are lucky to be living in this great land where we have so many freedoms. I can practice the tenets of my faith without fear of the government stopping me. I can write about the things I believe and they can appear in the newspaper and on my website. We have the freedom to express differing opinions, but sadly, it seems we are becoming less willing to listen to others whose opinion differs from our own.

As a classroom teacher I have had the high privilege of teaching students from all kinds of different backgrounds. I love and celebrate the diversity in my classroom. We do discuss target marketing in my class, which is dividing people into various groups in order to better sell them products, but I do not allow the marketing differences to separate them. We work in groups that are diverse and listen to various opinions equally. Being able to listen, grow and share is what makes this a great nation.

I am thankful to be living in a country where I can choose where to work and live. We were driving home from Winston-Salem the other evening and my wife asked when we moved to Rowan County. We realized we have been here for 30 years. We have moved a few times, but basically have been right here enjoying life in this great community. We feel blessed to live here, not too far for a trip to the mountains, and close to the coast, so we can visit the beach.

I feel blessed to be a part of a good church. We are a warm, diverse family. We range from newborn to people in their 90s. Our backgrounds are as diverse as our age. But we are a close-knit family. I am thankful that I can worship freely in our country, that our government protects the rights of its people to seek God. We need to continue to seek God’s blessings for our community, the state and this great nation. We live safely by the grace of God. We need to pray that God will continue to bless, protect and pour out His love on us.

I firmly believe that God uses our men and women in uniform to keep us all safe, but we can’t trust in their ability alone. We have to realize it is God who is protecting us. I was reminded of this in Sunday school when we heard about Isaiah and Hezekiah calling out to God to protect Judah. It seems the Assyrian army had surrounded them and was about to destroy them. God sent one angel who destroyed the entire Assyrian army. We need to remember that it is God who keeps us safe.

As we are entering a season of giving thanks, let’s remember the soldiers and their families. Let’s remember to pray for their safety and protection. If you get the opportunity, thank them for their service to this great nation. While all this is important, don’t neglect to thank the One who really keeps us all safe. It is God who protects and guards us. We need His favor and grace in this dangerous world.

I want to encourage you to give thanks to God for all those who serve in the military. Pray that God will bless and protect them and their families. Also, thank Him for His love, grace and mercy. Ask Him to bless us, to keep us safe. Ask Him to protect our communities, our state and our great nation. Aren’t you thankful for the good ol’ U.S.A.?

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041 or doug@dougcreamer.com.