A Day to Remember, In More Ways Than One
Posted by Danielle Bean in Family on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 12:00 PM
On Memorial Day, we usually attend a parade and visit a cemetery to pray especially for the souls of our country’s service men and women who are buried there.
Yesterday, though, we managed to get the parade and cemetery visit all in one. Our small town had a parade complete with speeches, prayers, and a wreath laying ceremony at the center of town, at the town docks (on the lake), and at the cemetery.
“I thought we were going to sit and watch a parade, but this is a workout!” I huffed and puffed to Dan as I lugged toddler Daniel from one ceremony site to the next, on the heels of the marching band and color guard.
I wasn’t really complaining, though. Our small town celebration managed to give us and our kids a real feel for what Memorial Day is meant to be—a day to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for ours. As Father said in the short talk he gave at the start of the parade—we were gathered to honor those people, often strangers, who gave their lives so that we might enjoy the freedoms we have the luxury of taking for granted today.
At the parade ceremony, a young man gave a recitation of the Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Afterward, my son Eamon observed that it was ironic that part of Lincoln’s speech says, “The world will little note nor long remember what we say here…” and yet here we are, 146 years later, reciting those very words from memory.
But I am so grateful that we remember that important call to live our lives in such a way that “these dead shall not have died in vain.”
I reflected on this as our family spent the remainder of our Memorial Day together at the lake, enjoying the sun, the water, and a barbecued lunch on the beach.
People remind us all the time that “freedom is not free,” but how often do we really think about what that means?
To me, it means that the blessings in my life are not something I can afford to take for granted. I know that all good things come from God and I do make a conscious effort to pause and thank Him for all the blessings in my life—the big ones and the small ones. But I don’t think I recognize often enough that I owe a debt to other people—strangers even—for the privilege of living in a country where we are free to practice our faith and raise our family as we see fit.
A quiet town to call home, the toddler in my arms, and a sunny afternoon at the lake with my family are mine to enjoy only because someone else has paid the ultimate price to secure my rights to this kind of life, this kind of liberty, and the pursuit of this kind of happiness.
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