December 21, 2007

Asks for prayers and thanks for service men and women

LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today asked citizens to join with her in thanking those men and women who will be working through the holiday weekend to make sure the rest of us are safe and secure as we celebrate the season.

"This is a wonderful season, a time of year when we celebrate those things that are most important in our lives:  faith, family, friends.  It's a time to rekindle old friendships and, just maybe, a time to rest and rejuvenate ourselves for the year that lies ahead.

"If you're traveling during this holiday season, I wish you a safe journey.  I hope you'll join me in saying an extra prayer and an extra thanks for all those who cannot be home for the holidays.  For example:  the police and firefighters who keep watch over our communities and protect us from harm, the air traffic controllers, the airline personnel, the bus drivers, the snowplow drivers - all who make sure we're able to safely reach our destination - and those who care for the sick and the homeless.

"And last, but certainly not least, the 1.4 million U.S. military personnel, including our own Michigan soldiers on active duty around the world, especially in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of conflict.

"Each and every one of these heroes is giving us the most precious gift possible.  Because of the dedication and sacrifice, we can celebrate the holidays secure and free."

The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state.  The address is available on the governor's Web site (www.michigan.gov/gov) for download, together with a clip of the quote above.  The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.  Links to the audio files and text of today's address follows.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
Holiday Radio Address
December 21, 2007

Full:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov124_Full_219431_7.mp3
Edited:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov124_Edit_219432_7.mp3
Quote:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov124_Quote_219434_7.mp3

This is a wonderful season - a time of year when we celebrate those things that are most important in our lives:  faith, family, friends.  It's a time to rekindle old friendships and just maybe, a time to rest and rejuvenate ourselves for the year that lies ahead.

For many, this will be a time of travel, because if there's a common denominator among us, it is the overwhelming desire to be home and with family for the holidays.  If you're traveling during this holiday season, I wish you a safe journey.  I hope you'll join me in saying an extra prayer and an extra thanks for all of those who cannot be home for the holidays.  For example: 

The police and firefighters who keep watch over our communities and protect us from harm;

The air traffic controllers, the airline personnel, the bus drivers, the snowplow drivers - all who make sure we're able to safely reach our destination;

Those who care for the sick and the homeless;

And last - but not certainly not least - the 1.4 million U.S. military personnel, including our own Michigan soldiers on active duty around the world…especially in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict.  Each and every one of these heroes is giving us the most precious gift possible.  Because of their dedication and sacrifice, we can celebrate the holidays secure and free.

While our service men and women accept the hardship of being away from home at the holidays, their families and loved ones also deserve our thoughts and prayers in this special season.  Let us remember and express our deep gratitude for each and every service member and each and every member of their families.

And, finally, let's take time to cherish this beautiful state that we call home. 

This is Governor Jennifer Granholm wishing you and your family all the blessing of our beautiful state this holiday season. 

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