I was at church this past Sunday and this phrase rang in my ears. It made me think of my Veteran and the pride he had for serving his country. So what does “leaving 99 and go after 1- Matthew 18:12” mean and what the heck does it have to do with Veterans?
I’m certain there are many interpretations for this parable or passage, both biblical and not. When I was sitting quietly in church, this passage made me think of my Veteran and those who serve or have served in our Armed Forces. When I read/heard this passage to me it states: we do not abandon those in need- those who are weaker, those that need care, those that need to be rescued, those that are faced with harm or oppression. This means that we put ourselves in harm’s way and forsake our own safety for the good of others.
How could this not describe what our Veterans and current military do for us and others on a daily basis. I am a Veterans widow. No, he did not die in service, but I will proudly wear this title because the pride he felt for serving. I will wear this title for the time we spent apart while he served, for the sights and sounds that he endured, for the sickness and sleepless nights that he survived, for the lives and the people that he helped, for the days, hours, minutes and seconds that he feared he would not return.
I want to say- Thank you!
Thank you for putting yourself at risk, so I can live in freedom, Thank you for sleeping with desert fleas crawling on your body and many other harsh or intolerable conditions, so I can sleep in warm bed. Thank you for enduring dysentery, ailments, injuries, amputations, and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice of your own life, so I could have access to health care. Thank you for spending time away from your family, so I could live in safety with mine. Thank you for enduring heat and discomfort, so I could live comfortably in my home. Thank you for eating MREs, so I could fill my stomach with good food. Thank you for your service on holidays, so I could have time off to spend with my family and friends. Thank you for risking your life, for the safety of mine. Thank for the ache you felt daily missing your loved ones: missing the births, weddings, funerals, family gatherings, so I could be present at all of those events. The list goes on and on and on…
Thank you feels so meaningless, not enough, but I know you don’t need a thank you. You serve because you love: your country, your family, your community, and those you do not know. Even though it feels like not enough, I will continue to say Thank you, and know that without those that “leave the 99 and go after 1” we would not be allowed the freedoms, the rights, the security and protection that we forget about daily, because of you! My heart swells with pride, knowing the pride my Veteran felt going after the 1.
So to all the Veterans, both past and present, living and deceased, from the utmost bottom of my heart- What you do is meaningful, what you do is honorable, what you do is a sacrifice, what you do is patriotic, and brave.
You are humble without need of praise or a pat on the back. My meager thank you is all I have to give, but I will keep thanking you, keep carrying the pride of our country in my heart, keep educating my children about service of country, for my Veteran and all who Serve!
Thank you!!!!
