This is Memorial Day

This is Memorial Day, a day when we think about all the fallen heroes that have given us liberty, freedom and a life worth living without persecution of worshiping the God you want, working in the kind of job you choose and having the kinds of friends you want to hang with. The war has come home to me, my nephew Tommy has enlisted in the Navy and goes to boot camp in June. I am terrified. What if he doesn’t come home?

I know he will learn many things in the Navy; one of them being the kind of discipline that he probably needs in this life to be successful. He will learn how to shoot a gun, clean weaponry, and what honor and loyalty to a country really means. He will learn what courage is and perhaps support those who have to muster the courage to defend themselves, or perhaps he will have to defend himself. He will learn what it takes to follow orders from comrades that will be his superiors and he will learn that each soldier has their own story, their own journey and that each story may be draped in blood. What if he doesn’t come home?

He will see other nations and other countries; he will learn another language and help people who need helping. He will make decisions and split second choices that he will never be able to change, so his choices better be right. He will make friends in the service, both men and women, brave and scared, just like him. He will make memories with these new friends that will last a lifetime. He may make the kind of memories that are hard to forget that will haunt him forever, but what if he doesn’t come home?

I am terrified and I don’t understand war as I think most people really don’t. Most don’t understand what it takes to risk countless lives. As I sit here thinking about it, I start to cry, my heart weights heavy, not only for myself, but for so many who love him. Please God, let him come home. Please let us know a world where he is making a life for himself. I am not unique. I am sure I am not the only one thinking these thoughts; but I remember, on this day as the whole country celebrates with hot dogs and bar BQ on the grill, beers in hand, at the beach, at the park, at our homes, there was a price that was paid, a heavy one and for some, the ultimate cost. If you know a soldier, please remember to think of them not just today, but every day, and remember that your freedom and liberty came at a cost. Respect that, and remember that so many are thinking, what if he doesn’t come home?