Memorial Day 2025

Memorial Day. A time to remember and be grateful, and maybe, a bit sad. The vast majority of us have never experienced the loss of a service member --praise God. We have the luxury of observing the day as little more than an extension to our weekend, the beginning of the summer season, and a day for parades and picnics. But what if we took time to remember and be grateful --not just for service members who gave their lives --but used the time to remember and giving thanks for what it took, what it takes to make a nation strong, to make a people free? I don't mean in any way to detract from the significance of the day or the pain and sacrifice of the people, but sacrifice comes in all shapes and sizes. The greatest, of course, is to give one's life for another.

I look around today and see very few statesmen and a lot of politicians. I see very few public servants and a lot of public figures. What if we took some time today and looked back at the folks who made this country what it is. Were they perfect? Of course not, but they were dedicated; they had vision and intention, and they were willing to go to their graves, if necessary, bringing that vision to fruition. They did the heavy lifting and spoke the hard truth. And while today we have men and women in uniform willing to do the heavy lifting, to lay down their lives to preserve the vision of one nation under God, the people who are supposed to be protecting them, speaking the hard truth, seem to be deaf and dumb. They are winking at lascivious behaviors and their own indulgence in them. They have made personal prosperity the objective of their office. They divide and seek to conquer. They encourage the irresponsible conduct of medical and mental healthcare "professionals" for profit. They refuse to protect the weakest of society and, instead, advocate for exploitation and degradation. They serve themselves above all others. Not all of them, mind you, but in service to our country and its people, within a system of elected officials, one is too many.  

This day let's remember those who gave, who sacrificed and lost in many ways. And let us recommit ourselves to looking away from the comfortable and convenient and begin to hold our leadership accountable. Let us become a people worthy of the sacrifice of those we memorialize today.