Memorial Day

I'll be writing a post about my awesome weekend for tomorrow or Wednesday, but I just had to write a quickie about Memorial Day.

Yesterday at the airport, as I was walking towards the security check-point, I saw a family saying goodbye to their son/brother, who was dressed in a service uniform. I'm not sure what branch he was in, but I'd guess he was a Marine. I tried not to watch as his mother clung to him, sobbing, while his dad and sister stood by waiting for their turn to say goodbye.

All at once, the enormity of the sacrifice they were all making rushed over me. Tears sprang to my eyes (as they are now, while I'm writing this) and I tried to imagine having to hug L goodbye in the airport, not knowing if he would ever be in my arms again. I tried to imagine sending my son off to a place where people wanted to kill him without even knowing anything about him. And I cried to myself as I waited in the security line, my heart aching for that family having to do that very thing.

That soldier, who was probably younger than me, was going over to fight a war for me, for my family. He was going to fight for my freedom, so that I could stay home and write whiny posts about only getting 6 hours of sleep (when he would probably pay money for the luxury of 6 hours of sleep) or the cost of formula.

It is not only on Memorial Day that I think about and appreciate the sacrifice that all the men and women in the service make so that I can live my life in freedom and peace. I am greatly indebted to you all, as well as the families you leave behind. Thank you for your selflessness. Thank you for your service. You are all in my prayers, and I ask that God speeds your safe return home.