Wayside Market, its owners, its employees, and its partners would like to take this time to thank all service members, past and present, and to thank the support that they receive from their military spouses. Overall, the upcoming holiday really is about everything that you do for the rest of us.

Stand tall, stand proud, and stand ready!

“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”

OR…

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

It is up for debate who said these quotes; George Orwell is normally attributed with them, though many sources contest this.

Regardless, it bears mentioning that this quote is no longer true in its original form… what it should say is:

“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men and women stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

In that respect, the world has changed greatly. Men, women… they both serve on the front line, and the support that they received from their military spouses (male or female) and from their families is what allows those that serve to do so as brilliantly as they do.

However… while some parts have changed, others have not… those of us who do live in the states do get to sleep well in the night because of the fact that there are trained, ready, and able men and women to do for us what we are not prepared to do.

For that, we are grateful! For that, we are thrilled to be able to celebrate the Fourth of July this coming Friday.

The 4th… it really is about the service members… without them defending the glory of this nation, we would find that we had no holidays to celebrate, and we would have far less enjoyment in this great nation.

While the whole Wayside family is saying “thank you” in this respect, as a former service member myself, I cannot express my gratitude for those that do continue to serve.

THANK YOU, and long may the red, white, and blue wave!

Thanking all those that serve and support those that serve aside, there are other things to think about for our Independence Day…

· BE SAFE – I know that I am going to probably have a drink or two, but I will not drive and I will not put my loved ones in harm’s way. I advise that everyone else enjoy the holiday, and do so in a similarly responsible fashion

· ENJOY – get some great food… hey, maybe you are on a diet, maybe you don’t want to eat that one thing because it might mess up your macros – it is a holiday, and each bite you eat honors our independence. That being said, kick back, enjoy, and eat whatever you want. You have the other 364 days of the year to make up for it!

· BE WITH YOUR FAMILY – I cannot begin to count the times that those who serve are away from their families on holidays, even holidays that are designated for them. They know what has to be done, and they do it with pride, but imagine being away and not being able to enjoy each other. Take the time, be there for each other, and share the love!

Get out, have fun, and enjoy the fireworks!

Really… that is all we have for this one! We are not looking to give you a whole lot of information today… we just want you to know that we are thinking of each and every one of you this coming holiday, and we are thankful for our right to have this holiday.

On the 4th we plan on launching our long-awaited e-book on all things meat related; don’t worry, because we will send out reminders in our normal Friday post this week (after the holiday).

Sincerely, be safe, have fun, and enjoy your time off. We wish you all the best!

THANK YOU!!!