GRATITUDE

As today is Veteran’s Day I thought the perfect thing to talk about was gratitude. As I sat on twitter today I saw many giving thanks to the brave men and women in our country who are defending our freedom(and yes I CAN say OUR country cause technically I am a dual citizen, but that’s another story).

Many of the messages were simple “thank you’s” to the general military, some of them were specific listing off the courageous people in their lives, but the ones that I found most intriguing were about the things that were happening around the country to show appreciation for these special and admirable men and women. There were a lot of parades that happened of course, but something else came through my twitter stream that gave me chills, so I thought I would share.

If you walked into a restaurant today and realized you were sitting next to an empty, yet set, table, this was not accident. It’s called The Missing Man Table.

As you walk into a local restaurant today you might see a table set for 6, a place for each of the branches of our military, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard – and civilians.

Upon the round table(which symbolizes our never ending concern for their absence) you will find:

A white tablecloth — symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.

A single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of the missing, and their loved ones and friends of these Americans who keep the faith

The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to account for our missing.

A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.

A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by those missing and their families who seek answers.

The Bible represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country, founded as one nation under God.

A glass is inverted — to symbolize their inability to share this evening’s toast with their loved ones

And lastly the chairs are empty because they are still missing…

missing

I hope you are able to take the time today to say thank you to the people who have served or are still serving our country and be thankful for the loved ones in your life.

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude. – Denis Waitley”

Check out the rest of the list!