Honoring a Different Kind of Veteran

Today is Veteran's Day - a day we should take time to thank the men and women who have served our nation in times of peace and war.

But today I'd like to thank a veteran of another kind - a veteran mom: My mom, Sandie Perry.

You see, today I heard Kenny Roger's 1980 ballad "Lady" and was taken back nearly thirty years to a very special time in my life. When I was ten year's old, roller-skating was very popular in my hometown. I practically lived at the rink. It was very much a 'youth culture' kind of place where adults were rarely seen.

Then, my mom discovered that the local rink was offering 'skate-dancing' lessons for couples on Saturday mornings. If I remember correctly, she asked me if I wanted to take lessons with her. Now, clouded by the decades, the details of that experience - including any skating ability I gained - are long gone. What remains fresh is the memory of the two of us skating together to Kenny Roger's "Lady" and the joy I felt to be doing this with my mom. The skating rink was not her world. It was mine. But for the sake of love for me she entered it and helped create one of the tenderest memories of my childhood. Thanks Mom!

Veterans deserve honor today, but moms like mine deserve far more.