AM~Erica Has Focused Thankfulness

So anyway...

Today is Memorial Day. It's a day for parades, relaxing & barbeque. We get a day off of work to spend with family & go shopping for the sales today. It's the unofficial start of summer, but the official kick-off to summer...so swimming & sunbathing should be involved...


*VINYL RECORD SCREECH*

Hold on a moment, people! Is this really our focus today? It's the meaning behind today that we get to enjoy these other things.

It's weird to say "Happy" or talk about "celebrating" today. And it has, once again, taken on a life of it's own. Commerce & people end up doing what we do best...twisting a focus into something it's not. Today we should FOCUS on the memory of FALLEN soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice of themselves for the continued freedom of our country.

Don't get me wrong, we should ALWAYS be thankful for our soldiers who defend our country, past & present. We should always remember our dear friends & family who have gone before us, too. But sometimes there is more of a focus. And we all have a bad habit of losing sight of that.

Today was set up, originally as "Decoration Day", back in 1868, specifically to remember those who lost their lives in the midst of service to our nation. Flags are placed to fallen veteran's graves. There are Memorial Services set up to remember those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Today, there is a focus. Don't lose sight of it. We get to go shopping for great deals, and have barbeques, and get a day off of work, and relax, and wear white, and openly believe our religion, and fake all of these other "traditions" because we have the freedom to do so!

I do thank all of the veterans & those serving for defending our daily lives in freedom. But let's put the focus on what today really is: we need to remember the ultimate sacrifice of the soldiers who lost their lives so we can continue in our everyday lives in freedom.

Flags are (or should be) displayed at half-mast FOR A REASON!!

Freedom isn't free!

So...what all have you crammed into today? Do you have the right focus?

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica