On this Monday after Thanksgiving, I would like to offer a short prayer for our troops.
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and keeping all armed forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant them a sense of abiding presence wherever they may be; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Tribute to Soldiers and Veterans from the United States Army.
Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies is a program offered to veterans. Currently, the program has groups Illinois, Indiana and Maryland, with plans to expand nationwide.
This past Wednesday, I had the privilege of visiting members of the group at the Oak View Center, part of the Oak Lawn Park District, in Oak Lawn Illinois. My original purpose was to share the news about the free 3-hour housecleaning offered by HAYS Cleaning. I ended up visiting with a great group of veterans, sharing a snack and playing a trivia game. I also learned about this great program, offered for free to our local Veterans.
The Oak Lawn group has several activities and outings scheduled that may be of interest to area veterans and their families:
Visit the Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies website at http://healthymindshealthybodies.org.
To find a participating facility in your area visit http://healthymindshealthybodies.org/hmhblocations
A video tribute to Veterans.
HAYS Cleaning, Inc. is pleased to present the “Helping Our Heroes” Veterans Day Special!
Download information packet here.
HAYS Cleaning will provide a complimentary 3-hour residential cleaning for Veterans of the United States Military, spouses of active servicemen and parents of veterans or servicemen.
To take advantage of this offer, please contact HAYS Cleaning by calling 708-598-3819 or emailing mary@hayscleaning.com. Call or email by November 30, 2012, to schedule your appointment for services within 30 days. Veteran or current Military Identification must be provided in order to receive the complimentary cleaning. Limit one complimentary cleaning per household. Offer valid for new and existing residential customers. (Service to locations outside of our normal service area may be required to purchase additional service hours.)
HAYS Cleaning is also collecting Care Package items for Soldiers stationed overseas. HAYS Cleaning is partnering with the St. Patricia Holy Name Society to collect and ship items to the troops. (Download information packet with item list here.)
Drop off boxes are located at several locations in the area:
HAYS Cleaning Inc. has been established for over 30 years and has grown from a hobby of owner/operator Mary James. The people at HAYS Cleaning want to make a difference, not just do a job! We believe liking what you do for “a living” delivers results our clients see and value.
HAYS Cleaning, Inc. is located at 9428 S. 78th Ct., #3, Hickory Hills, IL 60457. For more information on the “Helping Our Heroes” offer or the Care Packages, please call 708-598-3819, visit www.hayscleaning.com or email mary@hayscleaning.com.
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution which stated that the “flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that the “Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”
On June 14, 1877, one hundred years later, the first Flag Day observance was held.
Remember to honor Old Glory, today and always!
Read more about This Day In History here.
Today, Monday, May 28, 2012, we celebrate Memorial Day.
Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day.” It was a day of remembrance, honoring those who had died while in service to our nation.
General John Logan proclaimed Memorial Day on May 5, 1868. It was first observed on May 30, 1868, with flowers placed on the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.
Congress did not make it a National Holiday until 1971.
On this celebration of Memorial Day, take some time to give thanks to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Say a prayer for the families of our service men and women, that they be guided by God’s love and given the strength to carry on while their loved ones are protecting the freedom of everyone in this great country.
Sleep, comrades, sleep and rest
On this Field of the Grounded Arms,
Where foes no more molest,
Nor sentry’s shot alarms!
Ye have slept on the ground before,
And started to your feet
At the cannon’s sudden roar,
Or the drum’s redoubling beat.
But in this camp of Death
No sound your slumber breaks;
Here is no fevered breath,
No wound that bleeds and aches.
All is repose and peace,
Untrampled lies the sod;
The shouts of battle cease,
It is the Truce of God!
Rest, comrades, rest and sleep!
The thoughts of men shall be
As sentinels to keep
Your rest from danger free.
Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours.
Kudos to Homes 4 Heroes, an organization that helps rebuild homes for our veterans.
There is a wonderful article about this organization into the Tinley Park Patch here http://tinleypark.patch.com/articles/local-group-moved-to-rebuild-homes4heroes.
The mission of the Homes 4 Heroes:
Our wounded warriors returning to their homes are faced with a variety of accessibility problems. Homes 4 Heroes, a charitable organization, donates a wide range of services at no charge to allow our heroes to properly access and use their homes. We are a group of citizens who saw an unacceptable situation and needed to act. We saw our wounded soldiers rescued and wonderfully nursed back from their injuries only to be sent home to houses that were never meant to accommodate their disabilities.
We think they deserve more. Hopefully you will find a way to join us in helping these heroes.
Visit their site at http://www.homes4heroes.us/
“Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, 1950, marks the first combined demonstration by America’s defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense”.
President Truman
Saturday, May 19, 2012 is Armed Forces Day. Let us all take a moment to appreciate the many men and women who serve in the US Military today.
Read more about the history of Armed Forces Day here: http://www.defense.gov/afd/history.aspx.