'merica

5.27.2013

today is memorial day. and while i don't come from a military family, i have many friends who do or who have loved ones currently serving. unfortunately, paying tribute to the ones who protect us and our country on a daily basis, thousands of miles away from their families and friends and the strangers that they put their lives on the line for, isn't done nearly as often as it should be, as in every single day. it's more of a passing thought, an 'oh, yeah, thanks for that.'

we shouldn't need a national holiday to remind us, but we do. that's 'merica for ya. sometimes we're oblivious assholes.

and it's not just the soldiers that we should be thanking, it's the families and loved ones that stand behind them. a college friend of mine waited for seven months (it could be less or more, but i'm sure to her it felt like years) while her husband was deployed overseas, each day scratching off a day on a specific calendar that counted down the days until she would be reunited with him once again. when they were reunited, i sobbed for her. how brave some people are, how brave she is. and her husband is a hero. a living, breathing hero. i couldn't do what she did, i couldn't do what her husband has done and could do again. and if i'm brutally honest, i don't want my child doing what they do. it absolutely terrifies me.

so, to those that do what so many of us are not brave enough to do, to the families that support them and live in suspense, fear, and mostly hope, and especially to those that have made the ultimate sacrifice of giving their lives, a simple thank you or silly parade or wearing red, white, and blue today could never and will never be enough.

we owe you a hell of a lot more.

here's to all of you.

2 comments:

Maggieb said...

Thank you for this, so sincere & heartfelt (as always). Truly appreciate your words xoxo

Christie said...

Amen and amen.

 

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