Memorial Day 2007

It's good to put on Red, White, and Blue and get out and see your "neighbors" doing the same. During a time where there is so much tension and hatred over politics, it was refreshing to be united (even if it was just a false sense of unity) with other families even though they're complete strangers. I can't comment on how many times I teared-up today b/c it was just too numerous. Praying for our soldiers has, sadly, become a ritual of sorts for me. It's almost as if I'm numb when I do it. It is really hard to stand up for what's right, when so many people call it wrong, and people are dying for it. Being a Christian we have to see it all the time (minus the death). We try to proclaim truth, and we're called evil. Christians are continually fighting the spiritual battle, and now we also have the physical battle of war. Battle is not fun, it's hard physically, mentally, and emotionally. That is why this holiday was such a much needed reprieve from all of the world's happenings. I can't help but think about how as a country we've become so twisted. We're calling right, wrong; immoral, moral; evil, good and and vise versa. Even though it was only for a moment -- a couple of hours, I was able to put the majority of those thoughts out of my head. (Not entirely, but for the most part.) I was able to find that place inside me that still is very proud to be an American. I wasn't ashamed of all the loud mouths out there that voice their opinions no matter how WRONG they are. I forgot all about the slanted news that I hear 7 days a week. I forgot about all those Americans who really belong in different countries (b/c they hate ours so much)! My mind solely focused on the Americans in uniform, sacrificing possibly everything they have to give, for our country -- for me. It was difficult to focus on those who lost their lives in wars past b/c of the current war we're in, but those lives are no less important. It's hard to think of the civilian lives that are forever changed b/c of the death of a soldier. For every soldier that we hear has been killed, there are so many more people effected than we'll ever know -- family, friends, co-workers, fellow soldiers.

So on this very special day I want to proclaim:

I remember -- I remember that freedom is not free, nor will it ever be.

Thank You Soldiers