Remembering the sacrifice

Sacrifice. Are you off today? Or are you heading to a cookout or family gathering?

Do you remember the purpose of Memorial Day, or do you think it’s just the unofficial beginning of summer?

For a few minutes at least, think about the fact that Memorial Day is about ultimate sacrifice. It’s about the men and women who died while serving in the United States armed forces. It’s about fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, neighbors and friends who left home, intended on returning home, but never did.

It’s about lives cut short. It’s about forgotten dreams and forgotten loves. It’s about sadness, shock, grief and loss. It’s about folks who believed in their mission, and those who didn’t but fought for it anyway.

But it’s also about remembering and honoring. Remembering and acknowledging sacrifice are the first steps to avoid possible future conflicts.

Today is a holiday when we should be thanking those who sacrificed on our behalf. But because they made the ultimate sacrifice, we can’t.

This story was originally published May 24, 2015 at 11:41 PM with the headline "Remembering the sacrifice."