On Veterans Day, I watched a video of many families reuniting with their loved ones that were coming home from overseas. By the end, there were streams of tears flowing down my face.

I cannot even begin to imagine what it must feel like to be away from a loved one for so long and not know when they’ll be coming home. Luckily, for me, I have never had to experience this, but I know some of my family has.

There’s a picture hanging on my family room wall of my Gram and Gramps Wiernusz hugging and kissing after my Gramps returned from the United States Navy. It is one of the most touching photos I have ever seen in my whole life because you can just see the love and relief that they shared. I wish my Gram were here so I could ask her about how she must’ve felt while her loved one was away. And I wish my Gramps were here so I could ask him about his experiences overseas, but, more importantly, so I could thank him for his service.

My Uncle Ron followed in his father’s footsteps and became a member of the United States Navy in 1968. My dad was only ten years old at the time, so it was really hard for him to watch his brother leave.

My Gram, dad, and the rest of their family had to go through what, unfortunately, a lot of families are going through today. Just having that feeling of uncertainty bearing such a burden on your heart and mind must be so tough.

Going back to that video that brought me to tears, it made me realize how much I do take my own family for granted. I don’t have to write “miss you” letters or Skype in to a loved one just to say goodnight because I can walk right down the hall. It is so easy for me to see my family, whereas it is more difficult for families with someone overseas.

Even though I am not a part of a military family, I know that there are a lot of veterans and active military personnel that I could thank. I am always going to be thinking about those people overseas, as should everybody else, because they are the heroes that do what to most people is the unthinkable.

Veterans Day is officially celebrated once a year, but it is really celebrated or should be celebrated every day because there is always someone who is finishing or beginning their journey overseas.

Veterans Day is such a tremendous occasion because it allows for the perfect opportunity to reflect on the men and women, who have fought and are fighting in order to keep the United States safe. Each American citizen needs to know that these courageous souls truly capture the saying at the end of America’s national anthem, “home of the brave”.