Thanking those that gave all!

Memorial Day is the time to remember our past and those that have protected us. It is a time to reflect on all the brave and unselfish military men and women who have served this country and  gave all so that we could be free.  The price of our freedom is not cheap and should not be taken lightly. All who have served deserve our thanks and gratitude.

Every year one of my local churches holds a large Memorial Day celebration. It started when they hosted the traveling replica of “The Wall”. The exhibit arrived before Memorial Day and stayed for a little over a week. You could visit "The Wall" at any time of day or night and there was always a volunteer there to help you find names or help you make a charcoal rubbing. I was so moved by my initial visit that I went back several times at different times of the day and night. I gave thanks and said prayers as I thought of all those brave people who gave all and the war that everybody hated. One of my good friends from high school had served in Vietnam on the front lines. He rarely talks about what happened there but every once in a while you get little tidbits of what it was like.

The congregation of this church was so moved by that first exhibit that they created their own memorial wall for the fallen soldiers  of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The "Freedom’s Heroes Outdoor Memorial" goes up two weekends before Memorial Day and stays up until the Tuesday after. The number of panels has grown over the years as the number of soldiers that gave all has grown. I visit it several times during those 10 days and am always amazed at the power of standing in front of it. They still have volunteers to help you find the names of the fallen and every year I cautiously ask about the people I know who serve in the military praying that their names will not be there. So far I have been lucky but another year has gone by.

I watched the panels and flags going up last Friday at the church so my yearly ritual of thanking those that gave all will be starting. Every year when I visit I stop at each panel, read a few names of the brave soldiers that gave all and say thank you. When I arrive at the last two panels I carefully read each name as they are the ones that have been added this last year. This great event reminds me of how complacent I have been about the real cost of freedom. Take a moment to say a pray for the fallen who gave all and their families as Memorial Day approaches. Remember to thank those that are still serving and protecting our priceless freedom. This Memorial Day make thanking those that served our great country and gave all part of your positively healthy choices everyday.

If you would like more information about this great Northern California event celebrating Memorial Day visit   http://www.cccyc.net. On the website visit Freedom’s Heroes Outdoor Memorial and “A Grateful Nation Remembers”. You can also visit their Facebook page about the event called A Grateful Nation Remembers. 
 https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/agratefulnationremembers