Would you like a cup of tea? Virtual Tea pt. 2

Hello everyone. Thank you for all of the posts at my last "tea party." My husband came home from extended training last Monday and we have a few weeks before he leaves for a 15-month deployment (yuck!)

Now for today's tea party ... pull you chair to the table and pour yourself a cup of tea or fill your plates with sweets - today, I will tell you about a group of people who inspire me.

Their dedication and devotion are immeasurable. Despite criticism and disrespect they endure, some even to their faces. I am talking about America's service members. It must be so hard to defend the rights of people who picket the funeral of their fallen comrades and welcome home ceremonies. I can't imagine what it must be like to deal with that kind of hate and continue to fight for their freedom of speech.

They leave their families behind while they fight to help others achieve the freedoms that many take for granted here. They fight for what they believe in, regardless of what others think or say. As Lt. Col. Hal Moore said in the movie We Were Soldiers …, “American soldiers in battle don't fight for what some president says on T.V., they don't fight for mom, apple pie, the American flag... they fight for one another.”

They are honorable men and women who ask for nothing in return.

In honor of today, Sept. 11, the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America, I am also reminded of the countless civil servants such as firefighters, emergency medical personnel and policemen who are dedicated to protecting our home front. With a mother who was a police officer and an uncle who is a firefighter and brother who is a medic, I see the sacrifices and fear their families make each morning as they leave for work.

So raise you cup or tea or whatever you beverage of choice it to the brave men and women who answered the all of duty, both near and far, to protect our lives and freedoms.

My husband brought this marble tea set back from Afghanistan. When his bags arrived in January, a month after he came home, he said he had a surprise that he had been carrying around for a few months. When I opened it up, I was stunned. It was breathe-taking and beautiful. There were two places that pieces broke off during shipping, but you can’t even tell.

Until our next cup of tea ...