THE FINAL INSPECTION

I got this in an email today and wanted to share it
 

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I have not.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills just got too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear...
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'


Author Unknown~

Share the Spirit

This was posted in our chats by "Secret Santa". It is so wonderful, I wanted to share it with you all!!

"No matter how you celebrate the holidays, celebrate with someone who has served this country but won't be home for the holidays:

When filling out your Christmas cards this year, take ONE CARD and SEND it to this address: Holiday Mail for Heroes, PO BOX 5456, Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456 (according to Snopes this is the correct address). If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these soldiers could get to bring up their spirits! Feel free to re-post. This is a wonderful thing to do!!!

That address again:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456"

And I will challenge you even further.

Find out where your closest Veterans Hospital is . . . you should be able to look it up on the internet! Get the address and send ONE CARD to A Recovering American Veteran c/o your local VA Hospital.

Did you know that a lot of veterans don't have people close by? Send a Veteran a Christmas wish, too!! And if the hospital is close to you, stop in and visit some of our Veterans!! It's a wonderful thing to do this Christmas!! You'll be glad you did!!

If you need a gift for a Veteran, check out what our sellers on OLA.com have to offer!