Memorial Day

I have several memories of Memorial Day as a child. The first was each year, my mother would take me to the cemetery.

We went each year to see the grave of my older brother, who died when he was two years old. He died almost 20 years before I was born.

The second memory was that my Father would barbecue on Monday. The last was that the Indy 500 was the Sunday before Memorial Day.

Memorial Day was designed to honor those who died in battle defending the United States of America. I take the time to remember this today.

Sacrifice for other people is hard. It often leaves people sad and not jubilant. Sad is hard. I do think that there is a purpose to facing sadness. Honoring the sacrifice of others makes us a little less self-focused. A little more sensitive to those around us and a little more humane.

On Memorial Day, take a few moments to be thankful for your day off work, the friends you have around you, the options available to you. They are present for us because many before us gave up what they had.