Friday, August 8, 2008

KEELA CARR: One Beautiful Lady



Journey of a Thousand Thanks





She sold all her goods and went for a walk, a very long walk, 2,700 miles from Barstow, California to Arlington National Cemetery, Why? She simply wanted thank our troops. Ms. Carr is a beautifully humble lady who simply wanted to do her part to thank those who stand guard so we can enjoy the freedoms we share. There's nothing preechy about her approach; no conspicuous political message -- just a gal with a huge heart, who stated:

Walking across America is my way of giving back,".... "Their inspiration for my walk developed after I made a visit to Walter Reed last year and saw some of the severely wounded Soldiers. After leaving the hospital I decided to raise awareness for them and all Veterans.

"Florida Woman Celebrates July 4th Walking Across America to Honor Veterans," Reuters, July, 2, 2008.

These are the thoughts of a selfless, wonderful person whose simple wisdom means so much. In this era of the "ME" generation, to see this kind of sincere self-sacrifice is a thing of real beauty. The accomplishment of Ms. Carr's personal odyssey speaks for itself. Thank you on my behalf and all the folks around here in Chesapeake country who feel the same.

Here's Keela's website for her journey.
http://www.athousandthanks.us/
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I offer a humble prayer of thanks for a beautiful act of human kindness. I hope your time in the Nation's Capital gives you a chance to enjoy some of the best of the the Mid-Atlantic.


3 comments:

Del_Abe_Jones said...

Just saw Keela inspiring story on CNN this morning and thought it kinda strange I wrote the following yesterday.
Great article by you, too.
Del "Abe" Jones

Is, “Thank You!” Near Enough?



We need to thank all those Vets
In the Service of me and you
Not nearly, enough credit given
For, all of those things they do.

They leave loved ones here at home
And are gone, for months on end
Never knowing if, they will return
Or, what danger lay, around the bend.

They face the dangers caused by war
They see the horror and heartbreak
Of their Comrades killed or wounded
Where death can come from, one mistake.

They go to places round the World
Most of us will never (or want to) see
They go there and do the dirty work
In far-off countries, across the sea.

The Army, Air Force, and the Navy
And the United States Marine Corp
Serving in the name of our Nation
To open, or keep open, Freedom’s door.

They sleep upon the cold hard ground
And sweat through the heat of day
With the sand and bullets flying
Or some booby trap along their way.

Sometimes, they must try to make do
With equipment that’s not good enough
Buy their own, flak jackets and armor
That are made, of the right stuff.




We should never send them off to war
Unless we give them, the very best
But even so, with what they have
They will always seem, to pass the test.

We shouldn’t keep them over there
Any longer, than we tell them, we will
And we shouldn’t keep sending them back
After we know, they have had their fill.

And other promises that we make
Should be kept, no matter the cost
And we should help them find their way
When they return home and feel so lost.

We should never make them suffer
With experiments from our own side
And then, deny that we ever did it
Like Agent Orange! Where is our pride?

Seems we are always in some war
And always send our best young to fight
Maybe, if we sent the oldest first
We just might, finally see the light!

Every citizen should serve some time
In some kind of service or, another
If every family had a member, “in”
Instead of war, I bet we’d find some other.

So when you see one in a Uniform
Just take a moment, tell them, “Thanks!”
To let them know, we really care about
All those proudly serving, in the Ranks.



Del “Abe” Jones
08.08.08
abeabe@att.net


NEW POETRY TO 6/30/2008 http://mywebpage.netscape.com/delabejones/page4.html

Del_Abe_Jones said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Right Minded Fellow said...

del abe jones...

Thank you for your thoughtful contributions. I hope that regardless of where we stand politically, we appreciate that some amazing people who generally could live a much more secure, financially rewarding life doing something else.

Sure, we can take aim at whether we agree or disagree with the strategy, tactics, and politics of high ranking officers, but even they have given their life for the security and well-being of all the rest of us. If we had a military where the brass constantly agreed, they wouldn't be as effective as they are.

The petty officers and enlisted men are the real heroes. They come from every corner of America, every community, then handle the toughest assignments with professionalism and grace.

There are a handful of extremists who'd opine our fine soldiers deserve revulsion for were there not volunteers willing to carry the guns of war, the politicians and generals wouldn't, as the radicals suggest, be able to plot their murderous wars. What these folks don't understand that it is the sacrifices of our military through out our history who have secured, defended, and maintained the very freedoms that permit them to criticize their government.

Which takes me back to the beauty of Keela Carr's great deed, the beautifully American kind of heroism that comes from regular people from ordinary towns.