It’s more than a holiday. It’s more than a day for picnics and parties, for days at the beach. It is more than barbecues. It is a day to remember, and to honor those who have given their lives for their country. It is a day to realize and to understand the cost of war, the price of freedom. As many have said, freedom- any kind of freedom- isn’t free. We must remember this, and thank God that we are still free in this country.
We live in a generation where war has touched nearly every family in one way or another. There are few of us who have not felt the sting of war in our own hearts. It has brought separation, worry and tears, it has made heroes, and it has shown the true characters of others. It has called for bravery and courage in ways that many may never know. Some of these men- our husbands, brothers, sons, never came home to the family who loved them. They left an aching gap that can never be refilled, yet the memory of who they were will never die in the hearts of those they left behind.
Whether or not we agree with war, whatever may be our speculations as to what the real reason behind it is, it is our duty as fellow countrymen to support those who have gone away, to encourage them, to pray for them and it is our duty to remember those who gave all and the families, the wives and children who they left behind them when they fell. They may need to know that they are not alone. Today, we’re all here together as Americans, as fellow countrymen of any nation who has faced war. Today, it is the beginning of Memorial Day Weekend.
On Monday, May 25th, 2009 at 3:00 pm in your local time, it is the Moment of Remembrance. It is a moment of silent reflection, while the taps play, on the heroes and loved ones lost in every war.
Enjoy the weekend, enjoy the sunshine and the beauty that God has surrounded us with. Treasure the moments with your family, but stop and think of those who are not home, of those who have an empty seat at their family gathering and remember them in prayer to God.
And if you have the ability to bless some of those families in some other way, don’t forget them this Memorial Day weekend.
Listen to The Taps online.
Read about the History of Memorial Day in America.
Read other patriotic posts
Good post, Chantel! I think the link for Soldier’s Wife is broken… it goes to Proud to be an American.
Thanks, Keri! Silly me just put the same link in twice, but it ought to be fixed now.
Thanks, Chantel, for this beautiful post! May God bless our country and bring us back to following Him as a nation.
Proud to be a soldier’s girl,
Laura
Hi Chantel,
Thank you for the encouraging post! I agree that this weekend should be about more than parties and picnics or family gatherings. It should be a weekend to pray for and support those families who have been touched, perhaps even scarred by war. It is a time to gather together as a nation and pray for those who are serving us now, this very minute. We have so much to be thankful for and yet take so much for granted. May many hearts be changed as they read this article. You wrote what I wanted to say on my blog. Thank you!
Thanks so much! Some times it seems like our military doesn’t get enough recognition, even on days like Memorial Day when we are supposed to be remembering them…
Thank you for that reminder. We all need to be reminded that men and women have given there livess so that we can live without fear.
Sarah