Growing up I lived less than 20 minutes away from a military base. I'm sorry, Katy Perry, but that's the real teenage dream. There were men in uniform everywhere we went and that was absolutely fine by us. Its no wonder that I ended up marrying one of those men. It was inevitable.
To this day, I think that the men and women who put on a military uniform are some of the best people out there. I will always have a place in my heart for them and I will always hold them in the highest regard. Living that close to a military base and befriending so many soldiers pretty much ensures that you're going to know someone who has made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. I happen to know several and, let me tell you, Memorial Day hits a little bit differently when you have specific faces to associate with the day.
I'm going to be honest. The sales, the parades, the barbecues were hard for me to swallow at one point in time. It seemed like people focused more on the "fun" part of the day rather than the actual reason. But then it dawned on me. Every single Soldier and Marine that I've known that was killed in combat (or from struggling with PTSD related to combat) loved a party. I mean these guys were the first ones there for it. So, my mindset shifted. We'll have our barbecue and our fun. We may even buy something that's on sale but we'll be sure to remember. We will always remember.
