On this Memorial Day many will venture to the shore or pack their families for a getaway weekend never considering what this day stands for.
Most cannot fathom the sacrifices and blood thousands of families have suffered and spilled to uphold the freedoms we so take advantage of.
There is a price for freedom and today our men and women are fighting on foreign shores, dying and suffering to protect this human right.
America has and will forever be the symbol of freedom. We cannot forget this. Being part of this country demands that we uphold the values and teachings of our forefathers; that we defend what they fought so hard to create and pass on to us.
The great men of this country have left us a legacy to carry forward and to remind us that freedom does come with a price. As Abraham Lincoln states in his Gettsburg Address:
"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here; while it can never forget what they did here.
that we here highly resolve these dead shall not have died in vain; that the nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
It is my hope that we as a nation will not stumble and weaken our resolve to protect this gift. It is the freedoms of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that we covet and must fight for.
John F Kennedy saw this and believed it is a priviledge to stand and fight to adhere that every American share in God given freedoms.
"The path we have chosen for the present is full of hazards, as all paths are. The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission."
So today I ask you to reflect on the blessings in your life and to pray for the men and women whose lives were cut short by defending your Freedom. The heartache and tears of mothers and fathers who lost a child must never be forgotten. It is a loss and a price we must endure for freedom. Extinguish from your minds your trivial worries and dwell for a moment on the gratitude and thankfulness to the men and women of this great country who volunteer to serve and protect your freedom.
I leave you two passages from Abraham Lincoln and Shanon Hanson that I hope ignites your heart and soul.
Dear Madam,
I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.
I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine that would attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved, lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.
Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,
Abraham Lincoln
The Price Of Freedom
written by Shanon Hanson
Some were ready and prepared,
Others were so young and so naive.
Some of them chose to serve our country,
Others had no choice, they were called to serve.
As they hugged and kissed their loved ones bye,
Their hearts were heavy and tears filled in their eyes.
Not knowing if they would be coming back home,
Or if they would die, it was all so unknown.
As they prepared to fight for our freedom,
We prayed to God for their safety.
They all left their loved ones,
And their lives that they had known.
They departed to an unfamiliar land
Risking their lives and making so many sacrifices.
Being away from family and friends,
Giving up what most can't even comprehend.
The horrors and atrocities that
Our Veterans faced and endured,
You may not ever know or totally understand.
They protected our rights, our freedom, and the rights of others,
So that we could have and enjoy freedom in our land.
Some came home to a Hero's welcome,
Others didn't come home at all, they made the ultimate sacrifice.
Some came home and were disgracefully shunned,
Others have been so shamefully forgotten.
All of our Veterans served our country,
With great pride and true honor.
There is a price for freedom which they ALL so graciously paid.
They ALL greatly deserve to be remembered and honored,
Afterall....they are truly America's Heros ! : )