Posted on 05/28/2007 6:57:09 PM PDT by Keyes2000mt
We all appreciate that this Memorial Day, above so many others, it is good to remind ourselves of the huge sacrifice made by our men and women in uniform, past and present. We participate in the parades, we attend the memorial services, we place flags and other symbols next to the graves of those we have lost and those we continue to think about and thank. This should not be a rote activity; it should be undertaken with the most solemn of motives n to call to mind the answer our armed forces have made to the call of duty.
What is our duty on this solemn day of remembrance? I believe it is our duty to assure that the efforts of our fallen have not been in vain. It is up to us, the living survivors, to carry on in the way that they would have wanted us to n to uphold freedom, to be compassionate, to value integrity and honor, to do our best for God and Country.
What we most need to do is to bring these high minded principles to the here and now; to real life and to the best effect on others lives. Respecting their sacrifice means doing our duty in our everyday lives. How do we accomplish this? We start by working and building a better America through our work. We help our community; we participate in our civic life. We vote, to be sure, since the right to vote is the fundamental right to have a say in our government that our soldiers died for.
We can honor the sacrifice of the fallen by building a better nation for our children. We should first be teaching our children to respect the efforts of those that came before us to preserve the cherished principles of freedom and liberty we so value. We need to participate in activities that better the lives of those around us n whether that involves bringing a meal to the homebound, volunteering in a hospital, serving on a local board or commission. Any action we undertake which betters our community or our country is the most fitting tribute to our fallen.
So, by all means attend the memorial services, place the flowers, pray for the souls of the departed. Do not forget, however, to humbly dedicate ourselves to the real way to honor our departed soldiers with the practical gifts of caring and sharing with those around us.
Be with them to comfort them and keep them safe from harm.
God - please let them know that we pray for them each day.
Bless them Lord and keep them in Your Loving Care!
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