Memorial Day 2010

I have thought about what I would write for Memorial Day 2010 all weekend. I wanted to try and put into words the feelings I have about this holiday weekend. What I've come to realize is that I'm not sure there are words that can truly convey the emotions that run deep in my soul.

I can't walk around wishing anyone a "Happy" Memorial Day. I cannot rejoice the feelings of pain and mourning that many that I know personally feel at such a time. When I think of Memorial Day, I reflect on the numerous Military Memorials that I attended for our Fallen Heroes. The men and women who's lives were cut too short for a greater cause. My heart starts to pound and I play through the sequence of the many memorial services I attended. I can close my eyes and go through each part, each moment and I can feel the tears start to form.

Final Roll Call, 21-Gun Salute and Taps, I can't even think about them, much less hear them without feeling the ache in my entire body.

And while the emotions I am writing about are very real to me, I cannot imagine the pain that the families of our Fallen feel, or even the pain that my husband and his fellow Soldiers felt each time they lost on of their own.

We carry the responsibility of making sure that no one who has sacrificed for our Freedom is not forgotten. We take the duty of carrying forward their legacy very seriously.

We ask on this Memorial Day that you remember those for whom this holiday was dedicated and acknowledge the sacrifices they made and honor them by saying their name, for they are not forgotten as long as we remember.

I wrote this next part last year and still find it fitting today...

THE BRACELET

Everyday I wear a bracelet. It's simple. Black. White letters.

It means a lot to me. There are others who wear the same bracelet. Everyone wears it for their own reasons. In Memory. Legacy. Honor. Camaraderie. Freedom.

5-25-09 is Memorial Day 2009.

The bracelet makes everyday Memorial Day.

I won't forget, I will remember.Please help us to always remember

For love of country they accepted death... ~James A. Garfield

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. ~From a headstone in Ireland

The brave die never, though they sleep in dust:

Their courage nerves a thousand living men. ~Minot J. Savage

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. ~Benjamin Disraeli

The Patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree. ~Thomas Campbell

"We come not to mourn our dead Soldiers, but to praise them" -Francis Walker