A MEMORIAL UNTO ME

This is just one time that the people of God were instructed to remember things, which He had done for them, and performed certain rituals to do so.  For after all, in this instance, they had something to celebrate, and that was their FREEDOM.  They were freed from bondage and slavery, oppression and grief.  They were a people in their own right, with their own leaders, who had their best interests at heart.

This year, we also have much to celebrate on this day which has been set aside to remember those who have gone before and paved the way for our freedom, often with their own blood and their own lives. 

For every drop of blood that has been shed, for every limb lost, for every life that has been given, I give thanks.  To every mother who has seen a vehicle arriving on your doorstep, announcing the demise of your son, still in the prime of his youth, I give a heartfelt cry of, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” To the men who trudged through desserts, and bog, through forests and minefields, to those whose courage was for my safety and that of my children, I laud you, and mere words do not seem to suffice.

Thank you that we have not had another air bomb in New York or anywhere else in this country from the same source since the time we have waged war.  Thank you that the war fought on foreign soil means that we are safe at home.  If there were a way to see this accomplished and keep you soldiers at home, that would be my heartfelt desire; but since there is not; we love you, we celebrate you, and we give you thanks.

And tomorrow, before my cookout gets underway, before I see my parents and enjoy a holiday in your honor, I will kneel before the one who bought my freedom with his own blood, and thank Him for allowing me to live in this wonderful land of the brave and the home of the free.