Today, as I was walking through the city, I spotted two soldiers selling ANZAC Day badges. They smiled as I approached. One of them silently reached for my cup of coffee and sunglasses so I could rummage through my bag for money to buy one for each of my kids.
As he handed back my coffee cup, I was suddenly overcome with tears, grateful to be wearing my sunnies as I scurried off to work. Something about his simple act of kindness had struck a deep chord within me.
The heart that sees a simple need in a tired, working mother, is the same heart that drives someone to run, head first toward danger while the rest of us run away.
It’s the same heart that beat within the ANZACs 99 years ago and something about this soldier today showed me that the spirit of the ANZACs is still very much alive amongst our armed forces.
I’m overwhelmed by this spirit that would willingly sacrifice itself for my freedom. And now that I’m a mother, I feel it so much more because I’m grateful that my children live in freedom every day.
My kids don’t know fear, or hunger or oppression like so many other children, because of the heart that beats within our armed forces.
I just wanted to say thank you. For what you do and for what you’ve done. For us.
Lest We Forget.
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.