The Price of Freedom

In anticipation of a long weekend off of work and the predictions of really great weather for the entire country, I would suppose that the majority of people will be celebrating the Memorial Holiday in some way outside!

It will be fun, friends, family, the kids playing together. Great times in hard economic times. It will be rough for some. Some people will not be able to put food on the table for a simple BBQ. Some people for whatever reason have no backyard patio in which to entertain a BBQ.

What will you be doing this Memorial Holiday?  Will you be looking in the local paper for jobs in your area? Will you be having a garage sale to get rid of your excess for money to pay your new graduate’s tuition for school? Will you be wondering where the next money will come from for the kid’s baseball mitt?

If you are one of the people reading this and find you fall into something mentioned above- try not to despair. Continue on to pursue that job you are looking for, continue on with your garage sale, join the freecycle.com nation of swappers! But what ever you do-do not just quit! After all just imagine will you for just one second how it was for that Army Vet. that was stationed in the combat zone, or  him sitting in a fox hole wondering when his body would stop shaking! Imagine still, the veteran who finally lays down to sleep only to wake up with sweat running down his face and when he comes to- his scared wife and children are pinned  against the wall crying because their husband/dad was having a flash-back!

If any of those is you, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you had to go to war, to see war, to have your innocence taken away if you were so young, and I am sorry that I don’t know you. But I want to say one thing first and foremost, Thank you! I know that many did not come home from wars. I know that many who did were maimed in ways that bring tears to your eyes and mine too. But, please let it be known that when I sit down to eat my grilled hot dog as my family surrounds me and my children play, I pay homage to you. Bless you all Veterans of America! Thank you for risking all that you are, all that were, and all that you could’ve been to keep this country free!

My hat is off to you all, and as I wear my heart on my sleeve- Thank you I know that the price of freedom is high and that all veterans have had a place in making that happen.

 

Just my thoughts, just my opinions, and always in a conversationalTone

Mary Caliendo