Today, baseball stadiums fill with people, people grill-out, cities have their festivals and the bereaved go to a cemetery to morn their loved one. It seems that in today’s society, people have simply forgotten why we even celebrate Memorial Day. We’d rather grill than talk about the sacrifices our soldiers made so we can have that grilling party; so that we can be free!
Photo courtesy of www.creationswap.com
Several years ago we celebrated with my Grandpa by going on a cruise down the Mississippi in St. Paul, MN. All Veterans and their families were free that day. While we went up the river, there was a moment of silence, a story of war and bravery and a prayer for the loved ones who lost a son/daughter to war. I will never forget that moment, because it honored our freedom we have in America.
Why do we celebrate this day? What’s the point and will generations to come understand the importance that Memorial Day serves?
Here are 4 reasons we celebrate and why this is the greatest nation on earth.
1. It’s about freedom! We find, when turning on the television, a society where people disgrace this nation. But remember the founding fathers? They sacrificed everything so we could have the freedom of speech. Yes there is freedom, but freedom comes at a cost. It didn’t come free—someone had to die for us to be free.
2. It’s about courage! Courage is a funny word. But this word defines America. We live in a nation of opportunity. These opportunities will either cause us to stand up and succeed, or fail and try again. Our soldiers fight daily on our behalf. They give their lives in service of courage. It doesn’t come naturally, but we all have the ability to pull up the strength, find the courage and succeed. Courage is what makes us a free nation and gives us the opportunity to shine in a dark world.
3. It’s not about you! This is a recurring problem I see on television. People think they can do what they want when they want. They believe they can say whatever they want and believe what they want. Yes, you can. But remember this freedom is not just about you. This freedom is something that should be cherished and held dear. We are the greatest nation on earth because of the lives that have protected that freedom from threats both foreign and domestic. This is why it’s not about you! It’s about honoring each sacrifice so that you can be free!
As you grill those brats and hotdogs, go to that baseball game, take a moment and reflect upon why we celebrate this day. Tell your children the story of our freedom. How a band of unlikely individuals defied a tyrannical king and wrote their independence for a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal… under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all!
What story of sacrifice do you have and how will you celebrate that sacrifice today? Share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.
Jason (J.B.) Sisam. Best-selling Amazon author of the Christian Early Reader book, 
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