To be honest, it took me a really long time to “get” Memorial Day. I don’t know if it had to do with the fact that I grew up as an American in a foreign country or what, but Memorial Day was just a day off of school and nothing else. I lacked the community that provided the proper context for even beginning to understand why we, as Americans, take this day to pay our respects to the men and women who have died while serving in the US Armed Forces.
I don’t know if that community is any more or less prevalent these days, but what I do know is that there is enough context in my life these days to warrant taking a few moments to feel gratitude and give thanks to those who died in service to the country. I’ll forgo the debates about what military action is justified or unjustified, which wars are noble and which are for profit, and whether or not the men and women in the Armed Forces have represented their country appropriately. Heaven knows there is enough of that kind of discussion these days, particularly out here in the Chicago area on the heels of the NATO summit this month.
Instead, I’ll just say that I am reminded that many good men and women choose to serve their country in good faith and with noble hearts. They believe that what they are doing is in the best interest. Their experiences while in service may change their minds, but I honestly believe that most go about their business and perform their duty out of a genuine desire to serve a worthwhile cause. I am surely far from being worthy of judging any of them, so, instead, I dedicate a moment of stillness and silence in my heart for the sacrifices they made and for the price that they paid.
Illuminate Possibilities 