My Most Sincere Salute

"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men (and women) stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." ~Winston Churchill

Taps always gets me. The lone lament to honor the fallen who died for a cause is a simple reminder of one of the greatest sacrifices made, a life. People often celebrate the Memorial Day weekend with a BBQ or a mini-vacation and perhaps that's as it should be, celebrating LIFE. I know that for me it hasn't been such a simple holiday since the day I became a military wife in 1988. This was punctuated when the first conflict broke out while my husband was serving. Suddenly, the people going to that Global hotspot and putting themselves in harm's way were faces I knew and I was acutely aware of the fact that those I loved could very well come home in a box with a flag draped over it. Kind of difficult to get excited about Aunt Mattie's famous potato salad with that reality looming over me.

The idea of Memorial Day is an ancient one, with countries around the world paying tribute to their fallen warriors. And while I certainly do not disparage our right to lounge in lawn chairs and pop open a cold one, or sleep in on Monday morning, I'm grateful for those precious souls who paid for my rights in blood. More than once today I've asked myself, "What would you die for?" Even tougher, "Who would you die for?" Because let's face it, not everyone we meet holds equal favor or value in our hearts. The courage it takes to "lace 'em up" and put yourself in harm's way for people you don't know or don't even like, or a cause you maybe don't agree with is a level I'm not sure I possess, and I've done some pretty dang HaRD things in my life. If that's not honor, then I don't know what is. To those who gave their lives so that I could live mine, I promise you I won't waste it!