One Way to Celebrate

Yesterday, I asked my husband if it bothered him, as a soldier, that Memorial Day had become more about BOGO offers and potato salad than remembering the fallen. After a moment’s thought, he said no.

He explained that it was a pretty fair bet that the service members we’ve lost have spent a Memorial Day weekend or two  grilling with family, drinking a beer on the beach, or traveling to an out of town concert. That this weekend, unlike most of our hectic lives, is about enjoying the time we have and people in our lives, and isn’t that really what our soldier’s are fighting for? To preserve the freedoms that allow us to take a day off from obligation, relax and enjoy all that we have.

He went on to say it’s the same reason he doesn’t get too worked up over idiots who protest soldiers’ funerals. As morally repugnant as their protesting may be, he said, how can you not laugh when they are protesting the very people who have sworn to die defending their right to protest?

For me, our soldiers are so much more than soldiers. They are ordinary people, from every walk of life, who are able to do extraordinary things by putting their lives on the line. And they do it for us. So we can safely spend today going to BBQs, shopping for great deals or playing outside with kids. You don’t have to visit Arlington to honor the sacrifice of fallen heroes. Just enjoy your day. Know that someone laid down their life to give you this opportunity. Don’t waste it.