My Memorial Day blog

Let me be candid with you: there are some topics that are so important to me that I find it difficult to write the words.  Some topics carry such weight, importance, and responsibility to me that I find it almost impossible to get the words from my heart to the page (or, in this case, the computer screen).  Today is one of those topics.  Today is Memorial Day, 2015.  Today we honor the brave men and women who heroically gave their lives in service for the United States of America.

Mark D. White, in his book “The Virtues of Captain America” writes that Captain America has the habit of expressing honor with the gesture of a salute; this includes the saluting of a fallen soldier.  “The salute,” White writes, “is an outward sign of respect.”  Like Cap, I salute the brave individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice.

It’s important to take some time to stop and ponder the meaning and importance of this day.  If you have the day off, enjoy it.  But let the amazing importance of the day sink in.  Fellow human beings displayed heroism, selflessness, and self-sacrifice in the most extraordinary way that a person can.  Incidentally, in closing, I find myself inspired to strive to follow their example.  This doesn’t mean that I will give my life on the battlefield, but I can choose to be courageous, unselfish, and altruistic, just as they were.

Kevin