Yesterday was Memorial Day, and neither my roommates nor I had to work. That is a big deal for me, since I work two jobs and generally work seven days a week. We did next to nothing - watched two movies and went out for lunch. I also got to go shopping with my mom. Several times during the day, one or both of my roommates exclaimed, "Free Day!" They were both excited to have the day off. I got a little cynical at that expression. "Free Day," I thought to myself, "Neither one of them works as hard as I do." Sure one has a second job, but she only works one weekend day, leaving at least one free day a week. And the other, she gets full weekends every week. Why are they so excited about such a common thing for them? My frustration with them was one of those feelings that doesn't make any sense.
The day after any holiday weekend always brings up conversations at work. "How was your weekend?" "Did you do anything special for the holiday?" And it is one of those conversations that struck me. There were the usual cookouts, beach trips and sitting poolside. Then there was the conversation with one of my company's maintenance techs. I felt like such heel as soon as he started talking. I had asked if he did the traditional Memorial Day activities - like grilling out. He didn't. This particular tech is in the Army Reserve. He has served in Desert Storm and has been deployed overseas again since then. He took his family to Jacksonville, NC to decorate the grave of one of his fallen friends. They go to someones grave every year. This was the first year that they went to this particular site. When they found the grave, the soldier's mother was sitting on a bench in front of it. Can you imagine? She is broken hearted over her lost son and up comes a fellow solider, his wife and four small children to decorate his grave. Her son is not forgotten. That's what Memorial Day is all about. It is not about sticking your toes in the sand and eating a hamburger. It is to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We have forgotten that.
As a Christian, I want everyone to know that Christmas is about God coming to Earth in human form in the body of Jesus Christ. And that Easter is a celebration of his death on the cross, as a sacrifice to cleanse the sins of all humanity. That is important to me. Shouldn't it also be important to me to remember those that preserve that freedom. That have made it possible for me to follow my faith, to profess truth freely to the world.
Next Memorial Day, I plan on remembering and celebrating a "Free Day!"
