A Memorial Day Honor Project

Memorial Day will be here tomorrow and for many people it means BBQ, swimming, baseball, and a day with family.  Hopefully, there will be some thought given to the real reason so many of us are enjoying a day off with our family and friends.  Memorial Day is a time dedicated to remembering and appreciating the men and women who lost their lives in our nation’s service.  It is because of their sacrifices that you and I enjoy all the freedoms we have.

I have had many family members through the generations who served in the military, but to my knowledge, none have lost their life in doing so.   I also know that many of their comrades did.  It makes me pause to think about what I can do to honor the family members of others who had to experience that loss.  So, here is my challenge to me and to you…

Go to a local cemetery today or tomorrow and honor a fallen service member.

For me, this will mean going to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis and walking the grounds.  I plan to take my children and talk to them about what freedom means and why we are honoring those who gave their life in its defense.  I will speak the names of soldiers who have served all the way back to the Civil War.  Many of these brave people have not had their names spoken aloud in more than a hundred years.  I will do so to honor them.  Some people will bring flags.  Others will bring flowers.

Our world is a busy place.  We’re always connected and more and more people spend time with their eyes glued to their phones.  Take this opportunity to disconnect and focus on how precious our life and our freedom is.

I would love to hear about ways you honored our fallen soldiers. And, if you have a family member or friend who died in service to our country, I’d love to know about them too.  E-mail stories and pictures to me at TrishaM89@gmail.com and I’ll share them in a future post.