Monday is Memorial Day in the U.S. Like many others, our office will close at 1pm Friday and remain closed until Tuesday morning.
For too many, unfortunately, the focus is on the three-day weekend – the unofficial start of the summer holiday season – and activities like boating, picnics and barbecues.
While we enjoy all of these, we never want to lose sight of the reason for Memorial Day:
It is the day to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
So, sometime this weekend, if at all possible please do one or more of the following:
- Place a flag on the grave of a fallen hero.
- Attend a Memorial Day parade.
- Sit with family and friends and talk about the sacrifices made for us.
- Watch a show on one or more of the many tragic battles needed for our freedom.
- Read an article about a single soldier/airman/marine/guardsman who made the ultimate sacrifice.
- Just stop for a moment and think about how different things would be without the sacrifices made.
Our world and our country are far from perfect. Our leaders make numerous mistakes. But without the lives given in service and defense of our country over the last 237 years, we – and the world – would be so much poorer in so many ways. This one weekend at least let’s try to keep that top of mind.
Arlington National Cemetery photo courtesy of Flikr user The U.S. Army