Kids are insatiably curious. Mine easily ask fifty questions a day and I’m sure Memorial Day will be no exception. So trying to be prepared for once, I started thinking about what to say to my five-year-old daughter when she asks what the holiday is all about.
What will I tell her? Most people celebrate the holiday to kick off summer, with backyard barbecues or a day at the beach. How many pause to think about what it means? To remember all of the men and women who have served and died for our country.
But ultimately, I started to think on a deeper level (I do that on rare occasions), about honoring the people who have given their lives for justice and freedom. Is there a connection between living souls and those of the dead? If we thank them on this day, do they know it? Do they feel it somehow, this rush of emotions from millions of people?
So my answer to my children, when they ask, will be that we celebrate the day because we want to pay tribute to the people who sacrificed their lives for a better world. And I hope that their souls, wherever they are, can feel our gratitude.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRIOTISM
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE
THANK YOU FOR YOUR STRENGTH
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SACRIFICE
