Note: Taking a little departure from the usual topics I talk about on this blog today to share a few thoughts about a personal issue.

I’ll be honest, in the past I haven’t paid a lot of attention to Veteran’s Day and what it represents. Not sure why. My Dad was in the service. Vietnam. So, it’s definitely in my family. But, it’s not front-and-center for me every day. I don’t have friends in the military. Very few other family members, other than my Dad, are vets. So I guess I just haven’t thought about it that much. It hasn’t really “hit home.”

But, if you read my post from a couple weeks back, causes and special occasions like Veteran’s Day have taken on a whole different meaning for me the last few years since I’ve become a father.

I know it’s cliche, but the day I became a father, everything about my world changed. It’s true. So for me, holidays like Veteran’s Day are now a big deal. They’re opportunities for me to educate and help my kids understand what’s important in life. To teach them values. To show them how fragile life really is. And, in this case, to help them understand that there are men and women across the world that make the freedom we take for granted each day possible.

Now, you’re probably saying, why wasn’t Veteran’s Day a big deal to you before? And, you know what? That’s a fair question and one I don’t have a great answer for. Like I said, since it hasn’t been front-and-center for me, I just haven’t paid our military and the families that sacrifice for our country the respect they are clearly due.

But, I can tell you that today I am honoring those folks. Starting with a phone call to my Dad.

Note: If you’re looking for ideas on how you can celebrate and recognize veteran’s all year round, take a peek at this post from my friend, Heather Whaling, today.

Note: Photo courtesy of Martin Burns via FlickR Creative Commons.