By Andrea Brett
Hello, everyone! We have been so busy lately, getting ready for our Christmas show that many things have taken a back burner. When there are pressing and urgent needs in the forefront, sometimes the important matters aren’t attended to. Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be time to enjoy and savor life’s moments that really matter. There isn’t time to feel and appreciate and express gratitude. That has been the case in my life lately, especially in regards to one really big occurrence in my life this year –
I finally finished the “I Am a Veteran” book.
This is a project I’ve wanted to do for so long. I’ve felt compelled by it. It’s been one of those “I won’t rest until…” things in my life. And now it’s done and I haven’t even had time to really take it in. So, right now, I’m stopping the motion of my life for a few seconds to acknowledge that, with the help of many wonderful people, I was able to accomplish something that really means a lot to me, and that feels really great!
I want to express my gratitude to my family and friends who supported me in this undertaking, especially, my husband, Tom, who spent countless hours in behind the scenes work. I also want to sincerely thank the artists & designers who used their amazing talents to help me create a book that is beautiful. It was important to me that the book was not cheesy or cheap or cliché – I wanted it to truly honor those men and women for whom it was created – and I believe it does just that.
When I embarked on this project, I didn’t think much past the “getting it done.” I guess my brain could only handle so much at once. But now that it’s “done,” I realize it’s just the beginning. I have a book that I believe is worthy of sharing and now I’m exploring the next steps for doing that. The ideas are starting to come.
One of those steps is to let all of you who are reading this blog post know that the “I Am a Veteran” book is now available for purchase. I know that I take the risk sounding self-serving here, but I believe the book is the perfect way to honor the veteran or patriot in your life. And honestly, it’s not just for veterans. In fact, it may be even more important for those who are not veterans. I recently had someone who read the book tell me that they were planning to gather their children and share it with them and have a family discussion because they felt like the message was so important for the next generation. This was very gratifying to hear, because that is my bigger hope – not just to honor veterans, but to engender more patriotism and gratitude for our freedoms in every American, young and old and in between.
The book can be ordered by phone at 1-877-783-9270 or online at iamaveteran.net. It can also be purchased at our show. With Veteran’s Day and Christmas coming up, now is the perfect time. We will be running a special at our show for Branson’s Veteran’s Week. If you order on the website, enter the promo code BOOKSM at checkout to receive that discount.
Once we get the Christmas show up and running, and as we move into the new year, I will be devoting more time to the I Am a Veteran Project, which is explained in more detail on the website. I’m excited to use that platform for getting to know our veterans better and honoring their service. Though it is in the infant stages, I invite you to go to iamaveteran.net to check it out. I’ll keep you posted as things progress and develop.
As always, thank you so much for your love and support. The Bretts have the best fans in the entire world. Happy Veteran’s Day to all of you, and starting on Wednesday, November 1st, Merry Christmas!
