Skip to main content

memorial day...

we're heading into memorial day weekend, the time most people focus on sun and fun--pools open, campgrounds are full, and grills get pulled out and dusted off.

saturday, i get to celebrate with my little sister and her fiance as our two families get together for the first time for a wedding shower that will take place in the beauty of the arkansas hills. it will be a day full of joy, laughter, smiles...and lots of food :0)

this weekend, americans from florida to maine to alaska to hawaii will all be celebrating life.

many families, though, in the midst of the celebration and affirmation of life, will be remembering lives passed.
       my family is one of those.

it seems like all too often americans forget the reason for this long weekend.
we get wrapped up in the start of summer and forget what the holiday is all about:

for all of us to celebrate life, 
others had to give theirs.
for us to have the freedom to live peacefully, 
others had to fight.
for us to have the chance to get together and enjoy fellowship together,
others have to be absent.

as you go through the weekend, stop for a moment and remember all those who gave their lives so we wouldn't have to give ours. remember those who died far from home in foreign lands. remember their brothers in arms and their families back home, because this weekend will be a little bit different for them.



Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. JackieMay 24, 2012 at 1:12 PM

    Beautiful post, Mandy! My dear sil is career military and will be deployed next month to the middle east for nine months. I know first hand the sacrifice our service members and their spouses/family make! And I certainly honor them and those that have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect and defend our freedom.

    Thank you so much for such a wonderful memorial day post! Have a great weekend!

    Blessings!
    Jackie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Memories of yesterdayMay 24, 2012 at 2:20 PM

    ((((((((hugs)))))))) I wish I had words, but these are the moments when I am at a loss. My heart breaks for you and my prayers are lifted for you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. StephanieMay 24, 2012 at 7:25 PM

    I'm so sorry for your loss :( I admit I often don't do much for Memorial Day. I went by a graveyard today and saw some people doing the graves up with flags and flowers. It was very touching and I thought to myself that I needed to respect this holiday more. Thanks for your post to bring this message home for me.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thoughts? I would love to hear them!
~Mandy

Popular posts from this blog

what's next?

My husband and I were talking to our kids the other day about how important it is for them to learn to stand for their beliefs and live the life God has called them to now, while it is easy. We were talking about how one day in the future, they will most likely be forced to either cave to the world or stand for God, and in that moment the decision will mean a whole lot more than just social standing. Right now, Christians in the United States have been given a reprieve. The election of Trump was honestly not something I expected. I've written for quite a few years now about the decline of our nation, and I know I'm not the first--or only--one to point out the downward spiral of morality that we've been seeing for decades. As a nation founded by men who claimed the protection of God, I truly believe we chose to be held to the standards of the covenants we entered. God keeps His side of His promises--the good and the bad. That means that broken covenants have consequences. Wh...
Post a Comment
Read more

light

  Our nation--and our world--is in a very dark place right now. Everywhere you turn, you see chaos, confusion, fear, despair, loss, and hopelessness. People are lost. People are broken. People are living with shame and regret, desperate to hide the parts of themselves they are afraid for other people to see. In their desperation to hide, they are running toward the darkness... " Still some people preferred the darkness over the light because their actions were dark. Some of humankind hated the light. They scampered hurriedly back into the darkness where vices thrive and wickedness flourishes." (John 3:19b & 20) When people are ashamed of their actions, they hide them in the dark. They don't want them exposed to the world--it would be embarrassing, humiliating for people to see all the things better left hidden. They cling to the darkness because they are afraid of what will happen if light shines on the things they are ashamed of. People fear things they don't kn...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stand up and speak

 Pastor Allen Jackson recently said, "I think when you accept your Christian identity card for the Kingdom, you forfeit your neutrality with evil." In my writing here, I haven't been very vocal when it comes to politics. A quick count based on the "politics" tag shows 37 of 409 posts, so 9% through the years. Of those, I've been pretty diplomatic in my writing--encouraging you to do the research and exercise your right and responsibility to vote, no matter who you vote for. I've basically remained neutral...but I don't think that is something we can do any longer. If you listen to the loudest voices in our society right now, we as Christians should keep our beliefs out of our politics. We are told to keep quiet, and if we do on occasion try to speak up for biblical truths we are told that our words are hateful and bigoted. As a result, most of us have listened. We've pretty much agreed to sit down and shut up. It's past time for us to stand u...
Post a Comment
Read more