Thank You for Your Service and Dedication

In light of recent world and national events, I wanted to take this week to thank those individuals that serve our public on a daily basis. At each level of government from our cities, counties, state and federal sectors, the public servants that accomplish their daily tasks for the public need to be appreciated for their service. A special thanks and our prayers need to go to those serving in our Armed Forces as they are ever ready to respond and are placed in harm’s way to defend our freedoms and way of life.

I wanted to take this week’s blog to highlight those public servants that are often overlooked and underappreciated. It seems that the only time these fellow citizens get noticed occurs when things go wrong. Being a recent retiree from the federal government, I have encountered and been impacted by the negative. In my nearly 36 year career, those days of failure were a minuscule portion of a great career with dedicated co-workers.

The reality of government service at all levels is a level of effectiveness that is seamless and error-free. When you examine the real outcomes of government there are results of greatness and stability every day. Take a moment and think about those in public safety that make our communities safe and respond swiftly when the need arises. Think about those working in national security and protecting us from those that wish to threaten or strike out to end our way of life. Think about those that work in our medical and health areas to keep our way of living safe. Be sure to take time and understand what contributions all of those serving the public to make our way of life better. Who are these public servants? They could be your neighbor, Sunday school teacher, the coach of your children, your best friend, etc.

I want to take a moment and share a message I received from a friend this morning that highlights the spirit of this season: “Stop! Quit listening to all the bad in the world and let’s take time to be thankful for the blessings we enjoy in our lives! It’s time to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families. It’s time to celebrate the liberties we have and the freedom we enjoy. It is time to be thankful for our forefathers, our military who protect us and we pray for our leaders to come together to protect this great country from evil. It’s time to celebrate with our families and friends those blessing we enjoy in our lives. Don’t take them for granted! Be thankful and keep the SWAGGER! My blessing to each of you this Thanksgiving.”

As you celebrate this Thanksgiving Day take a moment to appreciate what we do possess and our influence in the world at large. While the negative seems to be the focus of our media it remains true that when disaster occurs the United States rises to the occasion. It is of utmost importance that we express our thanks to those hard working public servants on this day of Thanksgiving. Join with me and thank them for their service. Be safe in your travels and enjoy the season!

Darryl Perkinson is part of the GovLoop Featured Blogger program, where we feature blog posts by government voices from all across the country (and world!). To see more Featured Blogger posts, click here.