To most people, Memorial Day is exciting because of intriguing scents of food on the grill and relaxing days spent out on the lake. Often times we forget the reasons why we have the opportunity to spend weekends like this one with our families. Memorial Day should be a celebration of the lives that were spared and a day of remembrance for those who weren’t.  Memorial Day is freedom. Memorial Day is sacrifice. Memorial Day is appreciation.

Freedom. Freedom can be taken for granted because it has never been limited for most of us today. Being able to go to the church we want or speak freely about our political views is so normal to us that it is hard to imagine life without them. Memorial Day is remembering the soldiers who keep Americans free.  Memorial day is freedom.

Sacrifice. Memorial Day embodies soldiers risking their lives for people they have never met. The decisions that are made on the battlefield that can determine whether you go home in a plane or in a body bag. Memorial Day is thinking about those who to risk their own life to save someone else’s. Memorial Day is sacrifice.

Appreciation. A simple “thank you for your service” will take seconds but will show an infinite amount of gratitude. It gets harder to complain about a rainy day or having to cut the grass when thinking about the gunshots soldiers hear rather than the rain thumping on a roof. Memorial Day is looking around to see the bright red, white, and blue staring us in the face. Memorial Day is appreciation.

So as we are fishing on the lake or grilling out with our friends and families, it is important to remember the real reason behind the long weekend. Appreciating the sacrifices that soldiers give to ensure freedoms is what Memorial Day is about.