It always seems a little strange to me to say "Happy" Veterans Day or "Happy" Memorial Day--even though many of us do it. I think things like that just become part of our language and we don't think much about it or what it is we are "REMEMBERING." I use that word because over the years these two days especially have become "pseudo" holidays. They have even become "days off" work for some and it has become easy to take our time off, relax and have fun without giving much thought for what or whom these days were named for. They aren't necessarily "happy" days, especially for those who are remembering lost loved ones or who cared for or continue to care for those who were injured for their love of country.
I worry for our youth, especially that they are not learning the history of our great nation the way they should. I think it is so important that we as parents and grandparents teach them family history as it relates to those who have served to protect our nation. It is one thing for them to read an author's account and hear a teacher's lecture on the wars our nation has fought - both will be colored by their opinions and views. History always is. BUT--wouldn't it be better for our kids to have the added benefit of knowing their family stories--colored only by family views and opinions? I mean, that's what life is, right? Almost everything we teach them is somehow adjusted by our view of it--just as everything we were taught by our parents had a tinge of their viewpoints on life coloring it. And that's okay. It's our job to teach and raise and influence our kids.
It seems everything I read these days talks about our history books having some of the very real history taken out of them, (i.e. the Holocaust.) I'm very uncomfortable with that. We cannot change our future, if we cannot review our past. We must be able to see the mistakes we've made so we can try something different and not repeat the things we have failed at in the past. If we can't always count on history to be taught in classrooms, then we have no choice but to count on ourselves. We must be historically present in our children's lives. We must remember the stories we've lived or been told and pass them on--especially the stories that involve service to our country, patriotism, honor, love of God, and sacrifice. THEY MATTER. They make a difference in the type of human beings we are raising.
I am so blessed to have been and be surrounded by some amazing men and women who have served this country in gallant ways--most of them, family members. I am grateful for a grandfather and great-grandfathers, for uncles and cousins, for friends and neighbors and so many more in my family history who have all blessed me with my freedom. Thank you, thank you for being willing to answer the call. Thank you to those of you who volunteered to go. Thank you for being willing to lay your life on the line so our lives could go on and our freedoms continue. You truly are heroes to me. May God bless and keep you always.
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