Memorial

I’ve been searching all day to sum up how I feel about memorial Day.    I went into work for a few hours, and figured I’d go down and see my fathers Grave.    It was important to him that he not be forgotten.   I passed a cemetery and saw the traffic jams, and blew it off for later.

It was easy to go get steaks to grill on our day off.     It was easy to pass up the things that make you remember about this day, like passing through saving private Ryan on cable.

If I wasn’t careful, Memorial day almost just turn into a barbecue, and a 3 day weekend.

This sums up, almost exactly how I feel about memorial day.     The stories of men who went into the military because of maybe a small sense of duty, or pressure, or maybe just the chance of cheaper college.   That changed.   These guys went into battle, fought alongside others, who ended up taking the long view.

they took that home.  Learned to discard the ugly, and take the good to build a country.    A family.   A good place in the world.   They Built businesses and families.    Struggled with what they’d learned and saw.    Powered it out and pressed on, mostly alone.   Gave back.     We’re still swinging from the nuts of the men who did that.   The deserters didn’t learn a thing.    The fighters did.    Those are the guys I salute.

Memorial day should almost be every Day.     Dad, I’ll go decorate your grave tomorrow, and take the kids.   You hated traffic too.  I know you didn’t need to be remembered on just one day, but every day.    I can tell you we do.

My hats are off to the men and women who made the sacrifice I never made.    Happy Memorial Day.