Surely You Can Spare $1 for a Veteran

Written By: Kim - May• 26•12

Today I was grocery shopping at my local store. As I exited, the ladies from the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars (VFW) were selling their “Buddy” Poppy. The simple selling point is: “Remember our veterans.” These flowers are assembled in VA hospitals by disabled and needy veterans according to the VFW’s website.

A new "Buddy" Poppy to add to my collection.

As I do whenever the Buddy Poppies are on sale, I donate and get one for my car or more if my children are with me. All three of their grandfathers, their father, aunts and uncles served in the US military. It is a gentle reminder for them and me that someone else sacrificed so that we may live in a free country. Someone else stepped up to serve to help those oppressed in other areas of the world. Someone else’s life was changed forever because of his or her selfless act. The least we can do is donate a couple of dollars.

How can someone say no to that? I understand turning down Girl Scout cookies, Boy Scout popcorn or softball team fundraising bake sales. These types of food are not for everyone. Imagine my surprise when a guy turned this down with a polite “no thank you.” It took all my adult patience not to march in to the store after him and speak to him. Who knows. Maybe he works for the VFW and has hundreds in his garage.

So, this weekend when you see someone selling the Buddy Poppy outside of your local stores, please stop and donate. Surely you can spare $1 for a veteran.

How the Next Generation Learns about Dictators

Written By: Kim - Mar• 11•12

Dictators of the world take note: The upcoming generation is armed and dangerous—to you.

The next generation is more technically savvy. For better or worse, they are also more informed of current events than generations previously. Because their parents allowed them more reign than generations before, this new breed of teenagers and younger people are not afraid to speak up. They observe. They comment. They share—which exposes you even more.

I was extremely proud of my 14 year-old son on Wednesday when he began to discuss Joseph Kony at the dinner table. The mainstream media has covered the Kony 12 campaign this week and he found out about it through Facebook. Because I am a news junkie, I was already familiar with the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army. But, through social networking, my son and daughter also now know. So do their friends, as do the parents, friends, relatives and co-workers of these children.

The last thing any regime wants is a viral campaign. Too bad. It’s already happened though Kony 2012.

Word is spreading about Joseph Kony. Children have a unique bond no matter where they come from. They are protective of each other and in this case, rightly so. They, as the adults I know, do not understand how Kony or anyone like him can do this to another human being. But, as history shows us, insane, sick people have walked the earth for thousands of years. And sick people will follow their rhetoric and act in unspeakable ways.

While we certainly cannot control others, we can stand up and speak up. You will fail Joseph Kony as will your LRA. It may not happen over night, but it will happen. You will also be judged by God. If I had my way, someone on earth would provide the justice sooner rather than later.