This independence day...

How many times do we just think about holidays as just a time to party and not for what they truly mean? I know for the past two years, Independence Day has a deeper meaning to me.

Having a fiancé in the military is one of the most extraordinary things that I have ever experienced. It has helped me experience what my parents went through in Vietnam and what many other people go through each and every day of their lives with their wives, husbands, fiancés, girlfriends, and boyfriends who are serving this country.

Through the past year, I have been able to learn how to love on a completely different level. I am not always with my fiancé and do not get to talk to him every day, but I can always feel his love with me and that is what keeps me going through every day. I keep going on with my everyday life but not one second goes by without Jonathan going through my mind. I eagerly wait for the next phone call or and e-mail to say that we can Skype at a specific time. I have voice messages on my phone, so the days that are long and hard I can listen to his voice. Pictures of us together are all in a scrapbook to remember the time that we shared together. These are the things that I have to cherish and hold onto until his safe return back into my arms. I hold his Navy teddy bear every night and say a prayer every night for him to come home safely.

I found this quote and it is so true because Jonathan made me complete and I am thankful for who he is and all he has done. “I walk with my head up high and when someone asks…I will say with pride Yes I love a military man and would not have it any other way. I didn’t choose to fall in love with a military man. But God blessed me that way. He chose me to be different, to be outstanding, and to be a military fiance and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Independence Day is a day that everyone should remember people fought and gave up their lives for us to have all the freedoms we do have today. People are still out their fighting for us right now at this very moment. We should all thank them for all they do because they really give up a lot of themselves to make sure that this country is protected. These military men and women are heroes and often not really recognized for all the service they do for all of us. Next time you see someone in uniform walking by just say thank you… just maybe they will know that people do appreciate all that they do for us.