BLOG TOUR DE TROOPS--- Continues here!

Welcome!
As a part of this blog-hopping daisy chain, no doubt you have just arrived from Sonia's Rumizi's blog .She's got some very insightful posts (I loved her commentary on "My Sister's Keeper"), so I hope you took the time to click around. I also must say that Sonia looks incredibly better in a hat than I do---so props to Sonia for rocking that look. (http://soniarumzi.com/).

The next stop on the tour is Roy Finch. (I have no idea how he looks in a hat. ) But I know you'll love his wit. ( http://therealroyfinch.wordpress.com/)

And--if you feel the need to go back to "home base" -- it is http://indiebookcollective.wordpress.com/

Welcome! I'm joining 30 indie authors across the country to say a special THANK YOU to our troops this Memorial Day Weekend -- AND give away some FREE e-books to blog commenters AND soldiers.
 Because every commenter on my blog today gets the ebook of "Leaving the Comfort Cafe" FREE!

Leaving the Comfort Cafe is about a redneck chick who gets a 1600 on her SAT, a full scholarship to Cornell, but never goes. Instead she works as a waitress at the Comfort Cafe, a "mom and pop" restaurant in Eastern North Carolina. Austin, the new town manager, is determined to find out why she gave up on her Ivy League dreams.

In five words or less, it's about crazy Southern white people.

 But right now take time to THANK THE TROOPS with me as I talk about things I LOOOOVE about America --and how important it is to be grateful to our men and women who serve our country.

On Gratitude….a Memorial Day Weekend THANK YOU to our Troops

(a part of Blog Tour de Troops)

In the Bible, Jesus heals a group of ten lepers, and out of those ten, only one comes back to thank Him. Growing up and living in the “Bible Belt,” I’ve heard that story hundreds of times, and each time I hear it, I get really, really, pissed off.

I mean---- come ON you other nine lepers! What the *bleep* is the matter with you? You don’t even say THANK YOU?

Of course, I always envisioned myself as the one leper who came back to thank Jesus. Of course, I KNOW when to say THANK YOU.

Or do I?

It’s very easy to point to the ingratitude of others without look at the ingratitude we sometimes hide in our hearts, as I am much more anxious to get to the next meeting, movie, or chance update my Facebook status than to put my personal desires on hold long enough to say ‘thank you.’

And I think that most of us [self included] are much more like the 9 lepers than we are like the one who said THANK YOU.

I don’t say thank you often enough---particularly when it comes to the men and women in our military who are protecting our country. I don’t care if you’re a “hawk” or “dove,” liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, these men and women deserve our THANKS and our GRATITUDE.

We’ve heard enough about what is “wrong” with America – so let me just take this time to list [in no particular order] the things that are RIGHT with America—the things that I want to THANK our troops for making possible.

Things that I LOVE about America (with a HUGE THANK YOU to the troops)

* First Amendment. I can worship freely without fear of torture or arrest. Many in the world cannot (check out Voice of the Martyrs if you don’t believe me).

* Navy Seals. These guys are so tough they can eat glass. Seriously. I literally think they can.

NOTE: I’m not trying to leave anyone out--- I’m pretty sure the Rangers and Green Berets and Marines can eat glass as well, or at least chew on it for a long period of time. The training these elite fighting forces undergo boggles my mind. There’s a reason we have the best military in the world.

* Individuality. I don’t have to be a lawyer because my father was one. I can do what I want as long as my rights don’t hurt the rights of another person.

* The Founding Fathers. No, they weren’t perfect, but they were perfectly earnest in wanting the best for our country. That deserves some respect.

* America was a vital ally in bringing down Hitler, the Axis powers, the Cold War, the Berlin Wall and – most recently—Osama Bin Laden.

* Anyone else put a man on the moon ?

* As much as I hate politics, America has one of—if not THE--- most peaceful transition of power in the world. That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.

* Our flag. I mean, it even LOOKS cool, doesn’t it?

* Gene Kranz. (Check him out here)

* Where else can a Serbian immigrant with 7 cents in his pocket create/ discover alternating current and help utilize hydropower for Niagra Falls? (It was Nikola Tesla. Check him out here.)

* I can post on this blog without a government censor looking over my shoulder.

* The Grand Canyon, Key West, Rocky Mountains---some of the prettiest sights in the world.

* My Shake Weight. I don’t know why, but I felt I needed to mention it.

* Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, reserves---- I am convinced that, like cops, 98 percent of our soldiers are model soldiers and represent the best America has to offer. Sadly, we usually only hear about the 2 percent that are obviously from another planet or something.

I just want the 98 percent to know that WE HEAR YOU AND WE KNOW YOU ARE THERE, even if you don’t make the front page of the newspapers, AND WE THANK YOU!!!!!!!

So, what are some of your favorite things about America? And what's your favorite patriotic song? "America the Beautiful" was always a fave of mine.

To receive a FREE copy of my novel, “Leaving the Comfort Café” in electronic format, just leave a comment below, along with your e-mail address. (Because, seriously, I can't send you the coupon code unless you leave me an e-mail addy).

For every individual person who comments on my blog, a FREE copy will also be sent to a soldier. 

Thank you for helping me help our troops!

And your next stop is:  Roy Finch --- that's http://therealroyfinch.wordpress.com/ just in case the blog link isn't working. I've checked out his blog and I think you'll really enjoy his writing style. He's a hoot.

And BTW-- if you want to sample some FREE reads, just click on my picture on this blog or the links on the right.  You can even hear me READ from Leaving the Comfort Cafe on my website, dawndeannawilson.com . (Don't worry, I don't charge for the Eastern North Carolina accent).

So -- to recap---
America rocks.
Leave a comment (with your e-mail addy)
I'll send you a coupon code for a free copy of my book.
A copy of my book will be donated to a soldier [if you have a specific soldier in mind, let us know]
Check out Roy's site.
And say a prayer for our nation's troops.