Anyone who really knows me understands that I am a passionate patriot. I love America immensely. It offers freedom, hope and opportunity like no other country in the world. As such, I will be posting All About America every Wednesday, because I am proud to be an American! The content will vary and may include photos, facts, commentary, quotes, excerpts of speeches, etc. I will use different sources and make every attempt to site the source. Sometimes I may offer commentary, other times, if I think the content speaks for itself, I may not. I hope you enjoy All About America as much as I do, and that you’ll come back and visit often. And may God Bless America!~~~
Memorial Day has been a favorite holiday of mine for a long time now. Growing up, I didn’t really understand what it was all about. I knew it was a three-day weekend for most, and was generally considered to be the start of summer (though living in Phoenix, it usually seems like summer), but that was about it. My family didn’t typically make a big deal of most holidays, so there were no traditions we followed in regards to Memorial Day.
I grew up in the 1980’s, which I’m really glad for. Throughout my teenage years, Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States. He was both a great man and leader. He was very open about his faith in Christ and was a strong patriot. This man that I admired, but never met, was a huge influence on my life. In addition, he was my Commander-In-Chief when I joined the United States Air Force. I believe those two things, admiring President Reagan and serving in the Air Force, are what became the foundation for the patriot that I have become.
To me (and perhaps most other people), the United States of America is greatest country in the world. We have freedoms, liberties and privileges that many people in other countries only dream of, or possibly cannot even conceive. Our nation was founded on Christian principles and I believe that is the only reason we’ve done so well. That is also the reason so many people and countries around the world hate us and want to see us destroyed.
We’ve had people throughout our duration as a nation, who’ve stood for what is right and have chosen to put themselves in harm’s way to protect not only our freedom, but also the freedom of others. Our military men and women are heroes and deserve to be honored as such. I say this not because I served, but because it’s true. In time of peace or war, it is they who stand guard to protect us from our enemies. It is they who fight and die for the rest of us. We owe them a debt of gratitude. We can never possibly re-pay them for their sacrifice, especially the fallen heroes. But what we can do, is honor and respect them, and thank them for their service.
Memorial Day is a special day that has been set apart to do just that for our fallen heroes. It is a day to think about those who’ve given their lives for this great nation. It is a day to remember them and their sacrifice, with reverence and honor and appreciation. Memorial Day is to be one of solemnity and remembrance, while we celebrate what they did. The way the meaning of Memorial Day has been largely forgotten truly burdens my heart.
Like most holidays, it has become completely commercialized, with great sales all around. It has become a long weekend to party and travel. There is nothing wrong with shopping, with having fun, with spending time with family and friends, etc. But from my heart, I urge you to join me in spending some time remembering and thanking our heroes. Last year, I spent quite a bit of time, creating a page (or lens) at Squidoo, which is all about Memorial Day. It is dedicated to our heroes. Please take a few moments to look at it. I would love to hear what you think about it. It contains about as much info as I could find for Memorial Day, including touching video's, songs, poems and books. This was truly a labor of love for me and I’m very happy to have done it.
Click here to see the page I created, The Meaning of Memorial Day
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” ~ John 15:13
4 comments:
Tracy,
I grew up in the forties and fifties when memorial Day was taken seriously in our little town. There weren't sales, because everything closed in respect on that day. There was a parade through town, organized by the American Legion and speeches at the War memorial before Borough Hall honoring those who fought to keep us free.
Perhaps we were closer to WWII then and understood better the sacrifice and importance of our Armed Services men and women. I don't know, but our holidays have lost significance in this modern world. We should be ashamed.
By the way, my one daughter served briefly in the Air Force. my other daughter served 8 years in the Army, including two deployments in the War on terror (which we aren't suppose to say anymore), one of which was a year in Iraq.
Larry E.
Amen, sister.
I have such respect for those who serve, and I've always been in awe at the challenge they accepted.
They answered a call and for that I'm forever grateful.
Thanks for this post.
Tracy,
Very good post! God bless America, actually America should be blesssing God! Yes, We owe them a debt of gratitude. We can never possibly re-pay them for their sacrifice, especially the fallen heroes. But what we can do, is honor and respect them, and thank them for their service.
And the Squidoo link doesn't work. It says there's a page loading problem. I'd love to see it!
Hi Everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed this post about Memorial Day! Sorry the link didn't work (typo), I've now gotten it corrected, if you'd still like to visit the Squidoo page I created. Thanks again for visiting and I hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
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