Memorial Day

Our son has been in the Army National Guard for some years now. We are extremely proud of his service to our nation. While his tour of duty in Iraq was a little nerve-wracking, SKYPE helped us through it until he came home safe and sound 1 year later. Not everyone has been so lucky. I deeply value our men and women in uniform- whether military, police or fire. They put their lives on the line every day. And they do it because they want to. They get tired just like we do. They are often frustrated and constrained. They lose friends and are grieved. They are afraid but rise up and move ahead. On occasion, someone will break down and need help. They are human, after all. And yet, they continue to stand between us and the bad guys every chance they get. They live with memories that would destroy most of us. Row upon row of white headstones bear the names of those who have died in the name of freedom. Memorial plaques and walls across the nation show forth the sacrifices of our sons and daughters, our grandfathers and grandmothers, our husbands and wives. Whether that sacrifice was on foreign soil or native soil, we owe them our gratitude, our respect, our compassion. God bless them.