And then I remembered that I read an article before going to bed which was written by the spouse of a Marine who was killed in action. She wrote about how it affected her when people wished her a 'Happy Memorial Day'. About how she felt seeing all of the Facebook posts of people celebrating with BBQ, and fireworks, and water-sports. Today, holds a very different meaning for those who have lost a loved one who died for this country. A meaning that can be hard to grasp because of the divide between military and civilian life.
I guess this article hit me a little harder than I initially thought. But I am one of those Americans who has been guilty of not understanding what this day is really about. Since becoming a Marine wife I have grown to have a better understanding of some things that civilians never have to think about (whether I like it or not), and Memorial Day is one of those things.
Today is a day for ALL Americans to stop and appreciate how huge these seemingly small, heroic actions are that have shaped our country. How each and every man and woman who has died in service to our country has made it possible for us to have all of the everyday rights and freedoms that we are so fortunate to take advantage of. I didn't understand what today was about until I married into the Marine Corps because I was never around many service members. But I am thankful for having this bittersweet understanding now because the older I get, the more I realize how unique and amazing our country is. Sure, we have ups and downs politically and socially, but we have people who are willing to die to protect our rights as Americans. We have people who are willing to continue putting their lives at risk so we can have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the freedom of press, the freedom of assembly. Because of these men and women, every single American has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Memorial Day is just one day a year where everyone is expected to take the time to truly grasp and comprehend this monumental sacrifice. But the loved ones left behind when these fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, lose their lives for this country experience Memorial Day every single day of the year.
I think that we all need to do better, we need to be better in honor of this sacrifice. We need to be better Americans, better neighbors, better people. We need to realize that we all want the same things in life. We want to happy, we want our families to be safe, and we want to live our lives fully. We are all more similar than we are different. The Americans who put their lives on the line to make this possible deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated every day. And in my opinion the best way we can all honor that sacrifice is to be better people.
In times like these where it seems like the world (and more specifically, our country) is divided by words like 'us' and 'them', 'democrat' and 'republican', 'violence', 'hate crime' etc...we need to remember that there will always be people who put everything on hold to ensure that we have the opportunity to grow and become stronger, more united, and better as a country.
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