Wow. Just wow.

Mrs. Black just recently told us about a Newsweek poll she found that asked a very interesting question. It said, "How often do you think about the soldiers in Iraq?"
Look at the results. 65% of the people who voted on that poll don't care at all.

My first instinct was, "Of course I care! I have a friend serving in Iraq right now! He was my role model!" But then I stopped to think. Did I REALLY care about his safety every day? I will answer this truthfully: no.

When he first joined the Marines four years ago, I was worried sick when he first headed to Iraq. When he returned after six months, I was overjoyed. But as time went by, I found myself caring less and less and focusing on the more important things in my life. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that school isn't important, but that there are things in life that are easily overlooked.

That friend once told me that it's not worth it to worry sick about him every day like a mother would, otherwise I'll never be happy. That's true, but there were just days when I didn't think about him. The last thing I would want is a soldier coming home and finding out that no one cares anymore.

Why would more than half of us not care about the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan right now? Maybe it's because we're all too caught up in our schoolwork to think about anything else. Maybe we just didn't care about how other people feel at all.

Right now, I'm back to that feeling I had when my friend left for Iraq. I didn't want him to leave. I only wanted him to be safe. Now he's out there, doing what he feels is right. He has never asked much of me, but I feel that I need to pray for his safety, which I haven't done for a while. It's the least I could do for someone who's done so much for me.

The bottom line: think about the people who have done so much for you but asked for little in return. These people are not meant to be taken for granted. Thank them. Most importantly, appreciate them.