Let’s Never Forget Why This is a Holiday

It’s just before dawn, the sun is barely showing its face through the trees surrounding my home and it’s Monday morning -- a time that often draws a feeling of gloom upon many people who hate their jobs.  I am blessed not to have that experience any longer, but for those who normally do -- today is different.  It’s a holiday, it’s Memorial Day and for many of us it is the official beginning of Summer (the beloved season) even though the calendar insists it doesn’t start until late June.  So for the millions who normally drag themselves out to a job they may despise, today is a blessing, a great sigh of relief that this week they get to escape that, if only for a day.  An adult often feels like a kid on Christmas.

But let’s not forget why today is a holiday.  Let us remember the countless men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may continue to enjoy our freedoms.  Let us remember the families who grieve their loss and in some way honor them all in some way.  If we pray, let sing prayers of gratitude for their service, ask for their eternal joy and some measure of comfort and peace for their families and friends left behind.  Let’s find some way to honor their memory, even though we know deep down that a “thank you” can never suffice.  The best we can do is remember them -- as a country saying “we will never forget you and we will forever be grateful.”