Day 827 Stars and Stripes

 

So proud of my grandson for organizing a Veterans Day Breakfast as his school service project. I was up early to be there to support him and help if needed. Cash had lots of school friends on hand to help with serving, clearing tables and refilling juice and coffee. The kids were so excited to be "working" and all worked hard at their designated tasks. I'm always impressed with my community, they turn out in droves to support good causes and people they love. My beach club crew was there in full force, Cash's teachers and school families and of course lots of my friends. I was blown away that the new friend I met on my flight to Atlanta came with her children! I vaguely remember telling her about the breakfast but haven't seen her since we landed in Atlanta, never expected her to remember never mind show up...kudos to her. My brother and sister in law drove down from Cranston for the breakfast and were joined by more extended family. My grandson was thrilled to see the success of his efforts, relieved to have the stress of the project behind him and thankful to everyone that came out to help and support. I had hosted a Veterans Day breakfast and a Memorial Day breakfast for years, but the tradition ended with COVID. Seeing how much everyone enjoyed the return of the breakfast makes me think I might need to start the tradition back up...food for thought. After the breakfast gathering it was time to relax, my sister and brother in law came over for a bit then we all headed down to Point Judith for a mid day lunch/dinner. Georges was offering free meals for Veterans so Tim and his brother would eat free. We met Donna and Dave at the upstairs bar and the six of us sat, chatting, watching the boats and ferry go by. We even were entertained by a seal or two popping up here and there to check out the goings on. We all agreed we're lucky as clams to live where we do and be able to enjoy such spectacular views on the daily. Honestly, Tim and I have sat at a bar in Malibu, watching dolphins and although our seals weren't as prominent with their displays, the RI view is every bit as beautiful as the California Coast. The entire day was spent just as it should be, service to our veterans and relaxing with friends being thankful for our freedoms. I never expected to be surrounded by Veterans, but here I am. My dad, husband, son, son in law, uncles, in-laws and out-laws, all served, making veterans day much more meaningful than just a day off work. I proudly wore my stars and stripes, red white and blue the perfect mix of colors for the day and my visual thank you to our veterans for their service.