somber celebration...?

"I thank God for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring

Salute the ones who died
The ones that gave their lives
So we don't have to sacrifice
All the things we love

Like our chicken fried
Cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up..."
(The Zac Brown Band, Chicken Fried)

I was thinking about how strange we Americans can be... having a holiday like "Memorial Day"... one that is meant to be a day to honor the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom that we commemorate by... BBQ's and Beer, maybe a little bit of baseball (or arena football... go Glads!)...

Just as I was about to comment to a co-worker the apparent disconnect... the seemingly irreverent way we have of celebrating what (I was then thinking) should be one of our more somber days... the lines (above) from the song Chicken Fried popped into my head...

Attitude: Adjusted.

The service-people who died for our country... probably wouldn't have it any other way... their deaths were not so we could sit around and mourn their passing... or our own loss... their lives were given that we might enjoy the freedoms they were protecting... and what better way to honor them than by doing just that?

So wether you have made the ultimate sacrifice... or something as small as your best friend's wedding... to defend my freedom and the values of this nation... thank you!