What was different this time is how struck I was by the meaningfulness of the military honors ceremony. Ray served his country dutifully in the 1950s. Seventy years later, a corps of individuals—most of whom are retired and likely did not know Ray personally—dedicated their morning to seeing Ray off with a fitting salute. Wow.

Please make the time today to fill out the paperwork with your employer to support the United Way in your community through automated payroll deduction. If your employer does not run a United Way campaign, then (a) donate directly on their website, and (b) encourage your company’s human resources leader to reach out to your local United Way and get a campaign started.