In Honor...

We've been away this week/weekend celebrating my husband's completion of his Masters degree and participating in graduation ceremonies.  This has given us the opportunity to see the gorgeous Maryland countryside in late spring/early summer, visit with friends we've recently moved away from and even meet two beautiful new babies (a month old and the brother and sister duo to my goddaughter).  It's overall been a wonderful time and tomorrow, we, like many Americans, will be spending the day with more family and friends...

But, tomorrow is about so much more.  It's not about the politics or the ideology.  It's about the lives willingly laid down to protect all that we as Americans hold dear to us.  It's about honoring the families and friends who've been handed that carefully folded flag as tears streamed down their cheeks.  And it's about never, ever forgetting.

I was honored and very deeply humbled with the opportunity to take part in the flag ceremony with my Girl Scout troop during my teenage years.  I had the opportunity to show support to our nation's heroes before I was even old enough to vote.  We took our cermony to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC and were privelged that a few of our young women participated in laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.  We were thanked for our small show of appreciation and gratitude by men and women of many races and backgrounds.  Back then, I never dreamed that I would become the wife of a military servicemember...  that I would send my husband, father of my children away to serve his country in a war zone.  But I have as have so many other wives, fiances, mothers, sisters, grandmothers, cousins and friends...

Our flag team had a very traditional ceremony we performed but also one judged on "creativity".  Creative or not, we used (for a time) "Some Gave All" by Billy Ray Cyrus.  And on Memorial Day, as whenever I hear of the passing of one of our nation's bravest, I think of the words "All gave some...  and some gave all."

As you celebrate tomorrow with friends and family, please take a moment to pray, meditate, light a candle or recognize in your own way the sacrifice behind the day off from work. It's about so much more than that...  and we should never, ever forget.