Memorial Day and Veteran's Day are holidays that are near and dear to our hearts as I'm sure they are to you all as well. We have many friends, family members, grandparents and loved ones who have served and are serving in the armed forces. As I've grown older, I have come to realize what the true meaning of Memorial Day is and how important it is to honor and remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.
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| This picture of Old Glory is so beautiful to me. I snapped this picture on a gorgeous day at Pearl Harbor. |
While many of us celebrate with BBQ's, going swimming out on the lake, or taking advantage of all the Memorial Day sales, please don't forget to take a moment to honor our fallen heroes. Men and women we will never meet who have laid down their lives for each of us. How can we ever repay and show gratitude to the men and women who courageously gave their lives? I think a start would be to live our lives to the fullest and be the best person we can be each and every day.
A few years ago, my best friend, Coree and I flew out to Hawaii for a summer of adventure. While we were there we went to visit Pearl Harbor in Oahu. Words cannot explain how incredible this experience was. We arrived at Pearl Harbor early in the morning just as the sun was coming up. It was so quiet and serene. I will never forget how being there made me feel. Sad, thankful, grateful, heartbroken, relieved... and most of all, proud. Proud to live in this great country and proud to be an American.
Visiting the Pearl Harbor museum was amazing because we were able to see a glimpse back into the past. We saw things that are in history books! (I happen to be a huge history buff so this was exciting stuff to me!)
After the museum, we toured the USS Arizona Memorial. The memorial was built to commemorate the lives of all the American men who died at the Pearl Harbor Attack on December 7, 1941. This memorial was built above the USS Arizona battleship that was sunk during WWII and where many servicemen lost their lives. Many of these men were trapped inside the battleship and are still down there to this day.
There were so many people there that day and yet it was extremely quiet and peaceful. We spent the morning reading all the names of the fallen and honoring them. It is a moment I will never forget.
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| You can still see parts of the battleship in the ocean. |
Here is what we saw inside the memorial. So many names, so many fallen heroes.
This really touched my heart. Some of the surviving soldiers from that day asked to be inferred with their shipmates. It reminds me of the bible verse: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for his friends." -John 15:13
I feel so thankful and blessed to be able to visit this memorial. It will be a day that I always cherish.
On this Memorial Day, join us in remembering and honoring all our superheroes who do not wear capes. The men and women in our armed forces who paid for our freedom.
I am proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the ones who died
who gave that right to me.
Thank you to all our fallen heroes, to our veterans and to those who bravely fight today!
God Bless the U.S.A.
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