Shouldn’t we pause, remember, and say thank you?

I am grateful for another Memorial Day; another year of freedom, paid for at the highest price.

Sophia is helping Fred and me to teach  Ella all about Memorial Day:

And this year Sophie even had the opportunity to specifically thank some military families in our local community through an essay contest that one one of our local American Legion posts (The Andrew Pearson Post 117) sponsored to try to encourage greater participation in Memorial Day services. This is Sophia’s essay (she is nine years old):

And this is her conclusion:

“Even though I’m a little scared when the trumpet plays “Taps” and then the loud guns go off, I am glad to be at our Memorial Day service each year. I want to remember the people who have died for the United States of America and I want to thank them. This year, my family and I are specifically remembering our friends’ son who recently died in the war in Afghanistan. He leaves behind a three year-old son and a sixteen month-old son. I have a three year-old sister and I can’t imagine her life without our dad. But I don’t have to imagine that for our friends—that is what their lives will be like every day.

 Shouldn’t we pause and remember and say thank you?

That’s why I entered this essay contest. I didn’t write this to try to win a prize. I wrote this to remember the heroes who sacrificed their lives so that we didn’t have to. I wrote this to say thank you.”

From our family to yours, we truly  hope that are enjoying a meaningful, grateful Memorial Day.

God bless the USA and all of the brave men and women (and their loved ones) who give so much! They are not forgotten.