Today is Veterans Day, a day on which we honor those who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Originally known as Armistice Day, it commemorates the official end of World War I during the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of November, 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.

President Woodrow Wilson recognized the first Armistice (Veterans) Day on November 11, 1919 when he proclaimed:

“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

This short video is courtesy of a young friend of ours, Brandon Hess. 

Brandon submitted this short film as his entry for Sean Hannity’s (Fox News) “Great American Video Contest“  in 2010.

The video, which won first place in the national contest, was shot entirely on location in and around the Harrisburg region and the actors featured all served in our military.

Brandon and his wife Tara, are currently living in California and are writing the feature version of their thesis film, First in Flight, which depicts the story of the Wright Brothers.

They also have started a production company under the label of Hess-Tucker Productions and are making a difference in Hollywood!

Much of the freedoms we enjoy today in our country are attributable to the sacrifices made on our behalf by many brave men and women.

To coin a familiar phrase “Freedom is not free!”

If you cross paths with a veteran today, I’d like to encourage you to take a moment and in the spirit of Brandon’s film, pass along some honor today!

If you care to add to your “thank you” a random act of kindness, go for it!

THANK YOU to all those who have served our nation to ensure we have the opportunity to live the lives we so richly enjoy! 

If you know of a veteran who may be blessed by Brandon’s film, by all means share via the Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn buttons or pass along an email.

Photos Courtesy of Brittany Castillejo

One never knows where a rabbit trail may lead.

One simply has to follow the trail to see where the path may unfold.

I was in rabbit-trail mode earlier today and the journey was worth the time spent.

In the course of surfing some of my usual websites this morning before I left for work, I came across the following quote:

“Employees dread the work week and live for the weekend. Their world is made up of two spheres, work and play. The rich don’t know the difference. Their work is their play because they’re passionate about what they do.” – Robert Kiyosaki (author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad)

Given it was a Monday morning and the work week awaited, it was an invitation to ponder a few thoughts which are out of the norm.

I certainly aspire to my work being my play.

I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad several years ago but the quote escaped my memory.

I decided to Google the entire quote and was lead to this article, written by Robert Kiyosaki.

Running a little late to get out the door, I postponed reading it until later in the day.

Good move. It allowed me time to think.

There are times, if I allow it to consume me, where I think about the traction I am making on my efforts to write content for my blog.

The content for the most part comes easily.

It is making the time amidst a busy schedule which is the challenge.

I read about many bloggers with thousands of subscribers.  At this point, that ain’t me!

Yet!

However, if I allow it to consume me the thought can be discouraging.

Not this time.

The rabbit trail lead to much encouragement.

Kiyosaki’s article highlighted a story about Caine’s Arcade.

I will defer to you to watch the video on this post to catch the story.

Although the article, and rightfully so, is about Caine’ passion for what he does it spoke a different message to me.

It reminded me of an obscure yet powerful verse found in the Old Testament:

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin….” (Zechariah 4:10 NLT)

For me, it is putting one foot in front of another (and repeating the process over and over and over) which matters.

It is the advent of small incremental steps toward a sustainable and realistic goal which counts.

I may not be reaching thousands at this point, but I am reaching more than one.

Your feedback and comments are testimony to it, which I sincerely appreciate and in which I am often encouraged.

What about you?

Are there things in your life where you might be tempted to wonder why you are doing what you set out to do in the first place, becoming frustrated by the “slowness” of the process?

If so, I would encourage you to “not despise the day of small beginnings” and to gain some perspective by carving out some time to listen and learn from Caine’s story.

Not only is the story heartwarming, there is a lesson for all of us to absorb.

• Take the first step.
• Put one foot in front of the other.
• Repeat the process, over and over and over as you walk the road toward your destination.
• Enjoy the journey.
• Forget about all those you may not be reaching and focus more on those you might be reaching.
• It’s not about you and it’s not about me.
• It’s really about those with whom we share our stories and lives.

In what ways can you see yourself getting past the concern of your small beginnings and focusing more on enjoying the journey?