It seems that the unplanned theme of the December 21, 2012 edition of Athens Now is that evil and darkness are indeed alive and well on Planet Earth, and attempting to strike with a vengeance. But the good news is that through it we have the opportunity to unleash good with a fury, shine brighter than the darkness, and we are.
I have no desire to be another bearer of more bad news, but in order to “rally the troops,” there needs to be a “sit-rep,” or “situational report,” in order to give people the chance to do something tangible, something that makes a true difference in the lives of one of our brave ones. This not only benefits them, it strengthens us, and helps us to not become enveloped in hopelessness, helplessness, or despair. It is simply, on so many fronts, time to fight back, and to do so in, and because of, love.
Any reader of this column knows that I am a big fan of the soldier supporting organization known as Move America Forward. I know several of the management team personally, and have continued to be impressed with their tirelessness when it comes to their support of our soldiers. In the last edition, I made a request that should you feel you want to get a care package for a soldier serving in Afghanistan, Move America Forward, is one of the best ways to do so, and they will make sure your package gets into the hands of a deserving soldier. I know this because I know that at least during Operation Iraqi Freedom, they went over to Iraq and delivered the packages themselves.
Well, then what seems to be a “new low” occurred. Someone stole some of the packages intended for the troops! In a way, it reminds me of the place in the Book of Job where bad news just kept rolling in, connoted by the introductory phrase, “And while they were yet speaking…” Whenever you saw that, you knew that another unbelievable thing had just piled on top of Job.
In the first place, who would steal care packages earmarked for those who are putting themselves in harm’s way so we can have a holiday in liberty and security? It’s not even worth spending the energy to speculate. There is, however, good news that outweighs the bad. For example, Rush Limbaugh has stepped up to help, is donating generously to purchase care packages to replace what was stolen, and MAF is scrambling to assemble them.
By the time we go to print, it may be too late for the packages to actually arrive on Christmas Day, but miracles do happen. And even if they don’t arrive precisely on December 25th, they will still go a long way toward warming the hearts and bodies of our troops, as they endure the surprising cold of the Afghani desert in winter.
So, I am asking again, if, and only if, you feel that it is your desire and perhaps your assignment to do so, go to www.moveamericaforward.org, and do some of the most satisfying “last minute shopping” you’ll ever do!
