Welcoming home a small town hero - The giving thanks challenge...

In keeping with listing those things in my life that I am thankful for, today my "thanks-giving" includes:

1. My dog, Scout, who took a walk with me today in the cool, autumn mist. He's always ready and willing to share time with me, no matter what the weather.
2. I am thankful that I am not the mother in my town who shed tears for her son who died in Afghanistan last week. Her son is the reason for my early morning walk with Scout in the rain and mist. We stood there, my dog and I, in quiet reverence as the hearse carrying another mother's son to his final resting place passed by. Hundreds of us who stood in the rain today - all saying good-bye to a true small town hero - only twenty-three years old, Brandon K. Steffey.
   
3. My country and the remarkable way I feel when I sing our national anthem.
   
4. My mattress because it feels just like I am being cuddled when I nestle deep under my blankets.
5. My computer and my laptop. Both serve a purpose and both have opened up a world that I never imagined when I was a child.The Internet. Since 1995 I have explored corners of our world that I will never visit and made friends I never would have met without its creation.

Army Specialist Brandon K. Steffey comes home

From the Sault Evening News: Steffey grew up in Sault Ste. Marie and graduated from Brimley High School in 2005. “Brandon had a big heart,” said football coach Scott Menard. “He was a funny kid and kept other players loose. As a player, he did whatever was needed to make the team better. He was outgoing and tried to make friends with everyone."

The 23-year-old joined the Army in 2006 and served two tours of duty as a K-9 handler. Steffey has a wife and young daughter where he was based in Fort Hood, Texas.