This 2019 Memorial Day Tribute is dedicated to the remembrance of every soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, with special recognition to the heroes of US Army 3rd Special Forces Group.
Say a prayer for this line of friends, and for their brothers who say it seems like it will never end.
"Call out our names as the years go by. Remember us, and we will never die."
Say a prayer for this line of friends, and for their brothers who say it seems like it will never end.
"Call out our names as the years go by. Remember us, and we will never die."
Today is just another day for most of us, a lot like yesterday, and a lot like the ones before. A lot of us are excited to have a long weekend or an extra day off of work, so maybe we're a little more relaxed. Some of us have plans for cookouts and parties and get togethers with friends and family members, because that's what holidays are all about.
As we go about our holiday plans, let's make sure we don't forget that this holiday is not like the others. Most holidays are celebrations of births, lives, freedom, and new beginnings. This holiday is different. This holiday is a memorial. It is a remembrance of death. It reminds us that death is a part of life's journey, and it challenges us to reflect on selflessness and sacrifice.
Enjoy your family breakfast, whether it's a smoothie or a bowl of cereal, or a full course meal replete with homemade pancakes. Stack that French toast, butter the grits, and scramble the eggs. Mound that bacon for your celebration of togetherness!
But, take a moment to remember that somewhere today, there is a child who will never get to taste a parent's pancakes again because Mom or Dad went away to protect our freedoms and never came home.
Have an amazing cookout! Season those steaks and burgers to perfection, and sear them just so. Make them well-done, rare, or somewhere in between, depending on what your people like. Pass the ice cold beers, sweet teas, sodas, or waters, whatever your beverages of choice are, to beat the heat. Enjoy the parades and fireworks, ballgames and picnics, cold watermelons, and red, white, and blue cupcakes. Listen to the kids giggle and yell as they run and play chase, or hide and seek. Watch the joyful faces as the siblings, cousins, and friends share memories and laughs and hugs. The sheer excitement of togetherness plays out with every interaction.
But take a moment to remember that somewhere today, the grill-master is missing. Someone's son, brother, or best friend signed up to stand guard while we slept in peace, and the fight he hoped would never have to come, came.
Take a walk in the woods by a lake, or stroll by the ocean's shore. Hike up a mountain. Sit by a stream. Watch the wildlife. The birds will fly, and the butterflies will flutter. You might see a fish jump, or hear the splash as a woodland creature dives. The bees will buzz from flower to flower, and if you are silent, you will hear sounds of life all around. Take in the vibrant greens of the trees and plants, and the endless blues of the sky (God loves the infantry, you know.) The vivid colors of flowers here and there contrast so sharply with the cool darkness of a forest floor. The scents of wild jasmine and honeysuckle permeate the air. The salty ocean air is oddly heavy but somehow seems balanced next to the endless expanse of water that churns, foams, and flows endlessly back and forth.
Take a moment to remember that someone thought of a place like this again and again while far away from home. Take a moment to realize that someone held fast to the dream of someday coming back to breathe this air, and stand on this soil. Someone loved these places and the freedoms we have to experience them.
Let's not forget to remember that freedom is never free. So many things we experience as "just another day" are the most important things that life offers us. Too many of us never understand the value of what we have until we lose it. The freedom to disagree, have an opinion and express it, and pursue happiness are assumed to be norms in our country. We forget that speaking freely is unheard of in many places throughout the world, where words are punishable by death.
Let us honor those who gave their all by being a little more mindful, a little less careless, a little more thoughtful, and a little more engaged in real life. Let's appreciate the opportunities and freedoms that we experience every day, and do our best to give these heroes the honor of living our best life.
Take a moment out of this day to think of all of those who are never coming home.
They may not have had the opportunity to choose their final words to say, but they gave everything they had to demonstrate love and honor. Through their actions, they lived for the last goodbye.
Enjoy your family breakfast, whether it's a smoothie or a bowl of cereal, or a full course meal replete with homemade pancakes. Stack that French toast, butter the grits, and scramble the eggs. Mound that bacon for your celebration of togetherness!
But, take a moment to remember that somewhere today, there is a child who will never get to taste a parent's pancakes again because Mom or Dad went away to protect our freedoms and never came home.
Have an amazing cookout! Season those steaks and burgers to perfection, and sear them just so. Make them well-done, rare, or somewhere in between, depending on what your people like. Pass the ice cold beers, sweet teas, sodas, or waters, whatever your beverages of choice are, to beat the heat. Enjoy the parades and fireworks, ballgames and picnics, cold watermelons, and red, white, and blue cupcakes. Listen to the kids giggle and yell as they run and play chase, or hide and seek. Watch the joyful faces as the siblings, cousins, and friends share memories and laughs and hugs. The sheer excitement of togetherness plays out with every interaction.
But take a moment to remember that somewhere today, the grill-master is missing. Someone's son, brother, or best friend signed up to stand guard while we slept in peace, and the fight he hoped would never have to come, came.
Take a walk in the woods by a lake, or stroll by the ocean's shore. Hike up a mountain. Sit by a stream. Watch the wildlife. The birds will fly, and the butterflies will flutter. You might see a fish jump, or hear the splash as a woodland creature dives. The bees will buzz from flower to flower, and if you are silent, you will hear sounds of life all around. Take in the vibrant greens of the trees and plants, and the endless blues of the sky (God loves the infantry, you know.) The vivid colors of flowers here and there contrast so sharply with the cool darkness of a forest floor. The scents of wild jasmine and honeysuckle permeate the air. The salty ocean air is oddly heavy but somehow seems balanced next to the endless expanse of water that churns, foams, and flows endlessly back and forth.
Take a moment to remember that someone thought of a place like this again and again while far away from home. Take a moment to realize that someone held fast to the dream of someday coming back to breathe this air, and stand on this soil. Someone loved these places and the freedoms we have to experience them.
Let's not forget to remember that freedom is never free. So many things we experience as "just another day" are the most important things that life offers us. Too many of us never understand the value of what we have until we lose it. The freedom to disagree, have an opinion and express it, and pursue happiness are assumed to be norms in our country. We forget that speaking freely is unheard of in many places throughout the world, where words are punishable by death.
Let us honor those who gave their all by being a little more mindful, a little less careless, a little more thoughtful, and a little more engaged in real life. Let's appreciate the opportunities and freedoms that we experience every day, and do our best to give these heroes the honor of living our best life.
Take a moment out of this day to think of all of those who are never coming home.
They may not have had the opportunity to choose their final words to say, but they gave everything they had to demonstrate love and honor. Through their actions, they lived for the last goodbye.
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