the little engine that could

this morning, on the way to work (i have a new job... another story for another post), the double arms at a railroad crossing came down to let a single engine cross the road. while my first instinct was to be annoyed, i quickly became enraptured as i watched the engineer lean out the window and slowly guide the engine to the other side of the road. it was as if i had been transported back to my childhood. after the engine had passed and i was speeding down the road again, i reflected that i watched my husband and his buddies in the military with the same sense of awe with which i had just watched the engineer. why? because my parents had instilled those feelings in me as a child: people in the military and people like the train engineer were my heroes. and then i wondered, do kids today feel the same way? do parents still read stories and show them pictures that put these professions on pedestals? what about people today who hate the military? what caused their hate? the media? was it a bad experience? a family member or mentor's influence? is there something that would change their opinion? there are extremely bright and brave men and women fighting, and sometimes dying, in a war right now so we americans can continue to live our comfortable and safe lives. these men and women in uniform deserve our respect and gratitude, whether we agree with why we are at war or not. if you see a military hero this week, please do something to show them that you care... say thank you, buy them a cafe latte or a beer, or even a smile will do.