Freedom, as they say, isn’t free. It has a price far greater than a budget tally on a politician’s agenda and more than the rhetoric of a demonstrator.

It is personal.

And it is paid in the lonely tears of a wife whose husband spends more time eating MREs in the field than her meatloaf at the kitchen table.

In the child experiencing her first steps without her mommy to catch her.

The little leaguer practicing catch alone against a wall.

The youth who grows taller than his dad while he is gone.

The parent whose first and last waking thought is a prayer for safety.

Think about that when you thank a veteran today.