Public Service Announcement

I don't know how many readers of this blog actually live in Brussels, but if you do, there are some great events coming up that I wanted to let you know about. First, the American Women's Club is putting on its 42nd annual Holiday Bazaar this weekend, November 17 and 18 at St. John's school in Waterloo. There will be over 90 vendors from all over Europe. UPS will also have a booth there and will be offering huge discounts to ship your presents back to the States, so remember you address book! Also, bring cash because most vendors are not set up for Bancontact. Click on the following webpage to find out more information and see a list of the vendors. http://www.awcb.org/club/awcb/bazaar/index.cfm

Thanks so my friend Sue Hutchins for sending on this idea for Thanksgiving Day:
Leiden Netherlands is south of Amsterdam about 3 hours drive from here. It is the town that the Pilgrims left after they thought their children were becoming too Dutch and went to America and founded our great country. Each year on Thanksgiving Day, November 22 this year, the American community of Leiden and DenHaag sponsor a non denominational church service in Saint Peters Church the church that the pilgrims worshiped in between 1608 and 1620. The service this year will begin at 11 and finish around 1:30.

I personally have attended the services several times in the years I've been here and have always found them very special. St Peters Kerk is a large church that now serves as a municipal building for exhibits and concerts. When the city took it over they refurbished the Organ that dates back to the 1700's and they play this wonderful instrument during the service. Usually the American Ambassador to the Netherlands is there and speaks plus a descendant of the pilgrims that didn't go with the group when they left. There have been fantastic soloists and choir groups. Much of the music played and sung are the good old American hymns and patriotic songs. Really moving. Makes you proud to be an American!

Leiden is also a university town and has a wonderful history. There is a big windmill right in the middle of town that you can tour or walk along the canals to see beautiful homes dating back hundreds of years. There are several museums of note and one is the American Pilgrim Museum. The curator is the son of the man who ran the Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth Mass. where the Pilgrims landed. The museum is in a house from the 17th century and when you visit you can see how they lived.

In honor of Veteran's Day, here is a great e-mail forward I received. I had never thought about it this way before:

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

Normandy, France

This website gives you the opportunity to send a free printed postcard to U.S. military personnel stationed overseas. Show your support and appreciation for their service to our country by clicking here: http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1024.html

Thanks to a commenter for letting me know that you can't send a letter to 'Any Wounded Soldier.' Instead the website says:

Walter Reed Army Medical Center officials want to remind those individuals who want to show their appreciation through mail to include packages, letters, and holiday cards addressed to 'Any Wounded Soldier' or 'A Recovering American Soldier' that Walter Reed cannot accept these packages in support of the decision by then Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Transportation Policy in 2001. This decision was made to ensure the safety and well being of patients and staff at medical centers throughout the Department of Defense.
In addition, the U.S. Postal Service is no longer accepting "Any Service Member" or "A Recovering American Soldier" letters or packages. Mail to "Any Service Member" that is deposited into a collection box will not be delivered.

Instead of sending an “Any Wounded Soldier” letter or package to Walter Reed, please consider making a donation to one of the more than 300 nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping our troops and their families listed on the "America Supports You" website, www.americasupportsyou.mil