Book Recommendation

I have a confession to make. I'm really bad at buying books. Really bad. One might say that I have to keep myself in check when I wonder into the local used book store...For I am notorious in coming out with a receipt and book in hand that I thought looked interesting or that some one told me about at some point in time and had suggested I read it. The truth of the matter is, as bad as I have become in recent years at buying books, I feel I have become worse at starting many and finishing few. All the more reason I am happy to report, that while on my trip to DC a few weeks back, I was able to finish one that I started back in November (it had digressed to an on again off again read until the summer when I really had found time to sit down and truck through it while dealing with all my other responsibilities) and which I would definitely recommend.

"Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose is a must read for any fan of historical or military literature. I fully admit that my interest in finding this book was spurred on by the HBO mini-series which I had put off finding the time to completely watch until this past fall, when Spike TV ran all 10 episodes back to back labor day weekend (They've done this at least 2 or 3 other times that I know of since then, and I continue to make room on my DVR to record them again).

While I don't mean to go into a great deal of detail about the book here, I will say that I greatly enjoyed being able to enrich myself in the biographies of the various soldiers which were featured in the mini-series to a much greater detail than the show had allowed for. And being able to find out what happened to many of the soldiers who survived through the length of the war and went on to lead semi normal lives, also brought a greater amount of resolution to me of what happened to the men of Easy Company.

Being the Grandson of two men who proudly served in the Navy during WWII, this book provided a vivid reminder to me of what many of our grandparents did during that time and that they deserve the title they have been given as "The Greatest Generation." I would definitely agree with Tom Brokaw's assessment of their efforts in saying that they stopped at nothing short of saving the world. And while I would not dare to argue that each generation since which has dealt with wars abroad, have sacrificed any less for the sake of freedom than that of the men and women who served in WWII, I cannot help but see something astonishing in what they accomplished.

A favorite fictional character of mine is known by the motto, which seems apt here. "Freedom is the right of all" (paraphrased). The men of Easy Company and the soldiers of WWII sacrificed so much, in order that freedom might flourish for all mankind, and that given a choice how to live, men and women would be free from tyrannical dictators and governments, that would seek to take away any number of those personal freedoms and inalienable rights which we hold to be given to all by the Creator, to pursue those things which we cherish and greatly value.

So. Go. Buy the book. Read about the hardships and heroes of Easy Company. And to those who paid the highest price in order to create a better life for the generations to follow (especially my own)...in fewer words than the rest of this post: Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You undoubtedly helped to make the world a better place.

Gone But Not Forgotten

Hello blogworld -

I realized this evening after reading a friends blog, that I had one of my own. Checking in here and noticing that it has been a little over a year since I posted anything up, I figured ,"Why not?" and decided to boor the Internet community with my ramblings.

A few things that have going on of late. I recently made my first trek to the Capitol of this fine nation just a week and a half ago. The trip was mostly a sight-seeing run that we streched out over the course of a long weekend, but lost a half day and a tour of the senate room due to a bad check in system with an airline going outta Dallas, and then bad weather in DC as we tried to depart from Atlanta. While in DC we were able to stay with a good friend of ours from our church here in DFW who had moved up there in the last few months. Jon, Adrian, and myself had a great time catching up as we toured all the various memorials and museums, and were even able to catch up to a few college friends who also happened to be in the neighborhood. Aside from our airline woes, I couldn't have asked for a better weekend in DC.

While we are on the subject of travel, this past June my immediate family along with my aunt uncles and cousins, all got to go to Hawaii together. We had a spectacular vacation together, hitting most of the major highlights on the island of Oahu, from pearl harbor, to diamond head, to waikikki beach, and even a trip up to the north shore. It was fun getting to enjoy one of the most beautiful places on God's green earth with my family while we caught up with what was going on in each others lives.

And before I get off the subject of travel, at the beginning of this year I had a very neat opportunity to go to Spain and France for a little over a week, with my brother and a few of his friends from college. I knew nothing about Spain before going, and spent three days exploring Barcelona before flying to Paris to catch up with my brother and his friends, and seeing just about as much as you can see in in Paris over the course of a week. Both countries were great to tour, but I have to admit, I was almost caught off guard how much I like Spain and staying in Barcelona. From the hostel to the people I met, to the sights and sounds of the city, I had a wonderful time exploring a large European city on my own ( a first for me). It is a place I would gladly go back to and I hope that I never forget.

Well...those have been the larger elements of my adventures over the past seven months. I realize and am thankful to the Lord how much I have gotten to travel this year. I try to encourage my friends and anyone with whom the conversation of travel comes up, that despite all our technological achievements and how much indeed that the world has "shrunk", we live on very large and diverse world, one which God created with great splendor and beauty. And while I am both physically and financially able, I want to see as much of that as I can while I am here on this Earth. The Bible tells us that all our days are numbered, and none of us know when our time here will be drawn to a close. All the more reason then, to make the most of every opportunity that you and I are given by our Creator to do things that both matter in the eternal scheme and reap the blessings of a life that is lived most abundantly.

Until next time folks (hopefully just a day or two from now, instead of a year or more)....