Elizabeth Kramer | The Informer

With Veterans Day occurring this past weekend, instead of sitting on the Internet and mobile devices, most individuals across the nation spent time with their family and friends.

Frolicking at picnics in the park, asking grandpa to tell you stories of when he was younger and just being thankful for those around you is what the holiday means to me year after year.

Others who aren’t able to spend time with their families try to stay in touch and feel like they’re a part of the festivities, even when proximity wise, that may not be the case.

What I was unfortunately seeing when I got back from being with my family for the day was a heck of a lot of Facebook statuses about the holiday itself. Most were the generic “Happy Veterans Day,” but some confused me a little bit as far as the message they were trying to send.

One of them wrote, and it’s not worth naming the individual, “Today is the day to celebrate for those who have fallen in battle, sacrificed their lives for your rights and put their country ahead of themselves.” Hmm, although that’s all very true and a legitimate Facebook status celebrating this universal holiday, I do find a flaw with it, which sums up Veterans Day as a whole.

You shouldn’t only think and thank your veterans for one day out of the year. They spent days, months and years out on the battlefield doing what they love for the country that they love and we only give them one day to show our appreciation?

Nah, that doesn’t sit too well with me. Our country is, in large part, the way it is today because of those veterans who gave their lives defending our rights and liberties that we take for granted today, myself very much included. Why not celebrate their excellence every day of the year, instead of limiting it to one day a year when it’s expected?

I’m sure your father, uncle, aunt, grandpa, grandma, or whoever you know has served in the war effort would appreciate more than anything a call or visit from you, thanking them for their service.

Knowing that you went out of your way to show your appreciation, instead of on a day where it’s culturally expected, would mean a great deal to them, I assume. You shouldn’t limit your affection to one day, forget about it for the next 364, then start all over again by giving thanks.

Don’t have any family members or friends who have served in the military? Then just do what you can to be as patriotic and positive as possible. Spend time with your family anyways and be thankful that you’re able to have the relationship with them that you do.

Could you even imagine a world in which these individuals didn’t stand up for what they believed in and just stepped aside to the enemy forces?

We’d either all be one big British colony sipping on our morning tea and crumpets or under German control by now. It’s scary when you think about, but it could have been a harsh realization had these men and women not stepped up to the plate against opposing forces.

Stop reading this column right here. Pick up your phone. Call someone who you know who has served in the armed forces and thank them. Right now. Did you do it? Okay, good. I’ll bet they thanked you a great deal and so do I.

Always remember to thank those around you and keep in mind that just because there is one day out of the calendar year that is designated to thank war veterans, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it every day.