Memorial Day

I will be taking the entire weekend off to celebrate Memorial Day with my family. As a proud member of an extremely military family I want to take a moment (early) to say THANK YOU to each and every member of the Armed Forces for all of the things they do. I would like to also THANK all of the civil service employees who help ensure our men and women in uniform are able to perform the jobs they do.

I have seen first hand the sacrifices that all of our military members and their families make. I know the trust and family that a solider has with their unit. The support family left behind has and I know the heartache of the “We regret to inform you.” house call. I have felt pride as I watched my father’s flag being folded and the devastation of having that same flag handed to my mother.

If you see a solider out and about this weekend be sure to thank them for their service. They do it without thought to themselves. Their families serve right along side them silently many times. Trust me when I tell that a child of a solider will sacrifice just as much. There will be plays, functions, and graduations that they will have to attend without those soldiers. There will birthdays that their solider family member will have to leave suddenly, there will be holidays without them and so much more.

Also know that those soldiers sometimes get lucky enough to have families like mine was along side of them. Our house when I was growing up was the place all of the soldiers who couldn’t go home for the holidays to. Trips the lake meant twenty cars because we took everyone with us that could make it. Our home became their home and I like to think that we made their lives a little easier, a little fuller. When my father couldn’t attend a school function there was always someone there that would fill in.

So I am taking the weekend off to visit my father’s grave and enjoy my family. I will not be answering any emails or anything else this weekend and will be back on Tuesday.