Grateful.

I am so very lucky to be learning how to paddle an outrigger canoe. Not only does it involve a team of people making a boat travel over water, which of course I love, but it is a traditional Hawaiian sport. It gets me out on the water, in the sunshine and fresh air, and it's a fabulous workout.

Like many of the best things in life, this opportunity came about because I asked someone an offhand question, and they asked someone who knew someone else who was teaching some novice paddlers the sport.

I've only been paddling for a few weeks. I have done it less than 10 times total. And tomorrow I will be joining my fellow novices in an actual, real-life race.

*deep breath*

This is a short one by canoeing standards - just a few miles. In contrast, the Na Wahine O Ke Kai (I really need to figure out this hyperlink thing) is a 40ish mile race from Molokai to Oahu. That, my friends, is what the real paddlers do.

Maybe I'll be ready next year.

Maybe.

Anyways I'm super excited to be participating in my first race ever. I hope it's fun and that we are pleased with our team effort. I hope I'm pleased with my contribution to the team. That's all I can ask. I mean winning would be sweet, I won't lie, but it's not my primary goal tomorrow.

My teammates and I are entered in the race as the Kia'i Kai Canoe Club. Kia'i Kai is Hawaiian for Coastal Guardian and it just so happens that our fearless leader and fellow paddlers are part of the US Coast Guard Ohana (Ohana = Family). In fact I am the only one who is not a member of the Coast Guard or married to a member of the Coast Guard or a civilian employee of the Coast Guard, but they let me play anyway :) They're a nice ohana.

This race benefits a cause that is near and dear to my heart - Wounded Warriors Hawaii. I don't personally know any wounded veterans, but I believe very fiercely that we need to care for our veterans and honor the sacrifices that so many men and women and their families make on our behalf.

I worry that our nation's wounded veterans will be forgotten. I worry that our nation will let them down, that they will become the victim of budget cuts and the passage of time. In reality many of the injuries sustained in the past few years are inuries to the brain that will require a lifetime of care by entire teams of practitioners from neurologists to physical therapists to nurses to psychologists. Some have lost limbs. Some have lost organs. The lucky ones can recover in time to go back to the front with their units. But don't doubt for one second that these people will rely on a government health care system for the rest of their lives. We, as Americans, owe it to them to provide that care. No standard of care is high enough for these men and women. Nothing we can do can fully repay them. But if we all do our part, maybe we can get a smidge of the way there.

So tomorrow, I'll be paddling my little heart out for those who have been wounded defending the very freedoms I sometimes take for granted. I'm reminded that I am a generally healthy person and have the ability to paddle a canoe for four miles, and I know that this is a blessing. And I'll be grateful for all that I have, and I'll remind myself that so many have given so much so that you and I can go on about our daily lives. And I'll ask that you do the same - at the very least, think about it. Thank a service member. Say a prayer. Make someone else aware of Wounded Warriors and other nonprofit groups that support those who serve our country. Give your time or your money.

Please do not forget, do not overlook, do not push aside, do not leave behind. Their lives are forever altered in the preservation of yours. Do what you can to honor and repay them.