Who Do You Remember?

Our country set aside this one day a year, Memorial Day, to remember the men and women who died fulfilling a promise. 

Some volunteered their service, others (in earlier wars) waited to be drafted. All, though, committed themselves to a purpose larger than a "what's in it for me?" goal.

A few of the values we can learn from their commitment are:

• determination, taking on hardship to get the job done, 
  
• solidarity with those we live and work with no matter how different from us they seem, 
• loneliness (yes, a valuable life lesson), 
• appreciation of every day we have to live, 
• fear, and how to cope with it, 
• how to correct a course that is not a good one, and
• a perspective of which things really matter in life and what we should let roll off our backs. 
  

Those who returned from World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, and the Middle East know many who did not come home. Those who returned never forget their brothers and sisters who did not; neither should we. No matter how we view war in general, or in particular, we can learn from the strength of commitment of those who served.

If we do not learn from those who sacrificed their lives to a greater purpose than just themselves, we are doomed to live very small lives. Who do you remember and what can you learn from someone else's life and death? What life lessons did they leave you to carry today? Can you be a better person for their sacrifice?