Op-ed:
So Far From Home on Christmas
By: Diane Sori

Today is Christmas Eve when Christians the world over celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ...God's only Begotten Son. Today also marks the end of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah...the glorious and miraculous 'Festival of the Lights.' And today remains the day when those who fight to keep us safe and free at home are themselves so very far away from home.

But while the miles separate them from family and friends they are NEVER far from our hearts. And to that I am posting this poem to tell them all how 'We the People' feel about them, as we of the Christian and Jewish faith pray together that maybe next year our brave warriors will all be home amongst us...on American soul...and that...from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah..."Nation Shall Not Lift Up Sword Against Nation, Neither Shall They Learn War Any More."

The Sands of Christmas 

By: Michael Marks

I had no Christmas spirit when I breathed a weary sigh,
And looked across the table where the bills were piled too high.

The laundry wasn't finished and the car I had to fix,
My stocks were down another point, the Dolphins lost by six.

And so with only minutes till my son got home from school,
I gave up on the drudgery and grabbed a wooden stool.

The burdens that I carried were about all I could take,
And so I flipped the TV on to catch a little break.

I came upon a desert scene in shades of tan and rust,
No snowflakes hung upon the wind, just clouds of swirling dust.

And where the reindeer should have stood before a laden sleigh,
Eight Hummers ran a column right behind an M1A.

A group of boys walked past the tank, not one was past his teens.
Their eyes were hard as polished flint, their faces drawn and lean.

They walked the street in armor with their rifles shouldered tight,
Their dearest wish for Christmas, just to have a silent night.

Other soldiers gathered, hunkered down against the wind,
To share a scrap of mail and dreams of going home again.

There wasn't much at all to put their lonely hearts at ease,
They had no Christmas turkey, just a pack of MREs.

They didn't have a garland or a stocking I could see,
They didn't need an ornament--they lacked a Christmas Tree.

They didn't have a present even though it was tradition,
the only boxes I could see were labeled "ammunition."

I felt a little tug and found my son now by my side,
He asked me what it was I feared, and why it was I cried.

I swept him up into my arms and held him oh so near
and kissed him on the forehead as I whispered in his ear.

There's nothing wrong my little son, for safe we sleep tonight,
Our heroes stand on foreign land to give us all the right,

To worry on the things in life that mean nothing at all,
Instead of wondering if we will be the next to fall.

He looked at me as children do and said its always right,
to thank the ones who help us and perhaps that we should write.

And so we pushed aside the bills and sat to draft a note,
to thank the many far from home, and this is what we wrote:

God Bless You all and keep you safe, and speed your way back home.
Remember that we love you so, and that you're not alone.

The gift you give you share with all, a present every day,
You give the gift of liberty and that we can't repay. 

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Today on RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on CPR Worldwide Media from 2 to 4pm EST, Craig and Diane will host their Christmas Eve Special with a 'Salute to Our Military' so very far from home, fun Christmas facts with a few twists you won't hear anyplace else, and special Christmas music from the RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS vault of warped Christmas songs.

Hope you can join us... http://cprworldwidemedia.com/live-radio/
and chat with live shows at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cprworldwidemedia/