Memorial Day

In light of my last post, I thought I would repost my post from last year.....

appy Memorial Day. I am not sure "happy" is the right word but not sure what to put in front of it. Maybe I use the word happy because many think of today as a day off, a day for a picnic, a day for a barbeque, a day for a sale. For some, I imagine it is a rather somber day that holds more meaning than any of us will fully realize. Maybe it should be viewed as a day of remembering and celebrating the lives of all of those who have served to let us enjoy what we have today. For me, Memorial Day is a mixture of sadness, pride, and thankfulness. There is not a week that goes by that you don't read about a soldier giving up his life in Iraq. I think about those families and the families from previous wars and wonder how they "remember" today and feel sadness for their loss. Then I think of my husband in Iraq and my father who served in Vietnam and feel incredibly proud to have them in my life. Then I am thankful. After hearing stories and seeing pictures of what life could be like, I am thankful for those who have served to defend the rights and liberties I enjoy everyday. And I am especially thankful for those who are serving with Doug and together they will come home safely.

It’s funny – I talked to Doug today for 30 minutes and completely forgot to ask him how his unit spent today. Did it seem like another day? Did they have a service? How did they remember? Perhaps like many of us, they did not have any formal event but reflected upon themselves as to what today meant to them. Although we did not talk about Memorial Day, Doug recently copied me on an email he sent to our Pastor that I hope he won't mind me sharing. "These guys are the true heros and am truly a believer in the quote from John saying that 'Greater love has no one than this, that he who lays down his life for his friends.' I think that if you ask any Marine, he'll tell you that's the reason he's over here."

Remember Memorial Day


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