For friends and family in the US today, it is a day of remembering. Memorial Day honors all those who served their country with a special place the individuals and families who have been touched by the ultimate sacrifice. I find it helps to place myself is in a period of quiet reflection, recognizing the pain on which freedom rests. The harsh reality of the price paid for freedom from tyranny is never fully measured through numbers and facts. For me, it is in reading the stories, the heartache, and looking into the eyes and hearing the voices of mothers, fathers, spouses, and especially children left behind, that I begin to understand the magnitude of what has been paid.
Remembering must be intentional, otherwise I will put it aside. The process of recollecting, considering, and understanding the willingness to sacrifice along with the reality of what followed, is difficult. However, it is important to see what we now have in context. Freedom through the sacrifices of others, restoration, and salvation through the sacrifices by Divinity and Divinity’s children. May we always echo the commitment in the psalms; “Let my tongue swell and turn black if I fail to remember you, If I fail, O dear Jerusalem, to honor you as my greatest.” (Psalm 137.6)
It is in letting the supreme gift of others touch our hearts and minds, that I most clearly hear the call to live for others. Care and kindness are just the beginning. Standing up to defend those who cannot defend themselves follows. Being responsible to right the wrongs left by the actions of those before us is not a statement that we are evil. I see this as a natural result of accepting an invitation to be Divinity’s touch and voice when it is needed most. Our response is a measure of the God we have embraced.
In the quietness of shared memories, Hope exists. I see tomorrow being better than today. In standing tall for my community, championing compassion, acceptance, and opportunity, I remember and honor those who went before me.
