Memorial Day

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, many of us are preparing for cookouts, sunshine, hamburgers, hotdogs, and the unofficial beginning of summer.

And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating and enjoying the freedoms we’ve been given, I think somewhere along the way, Memorial Day became reduced to “the start of summer” instead of a day of remembrance.

Before the food hits the grill.
Before the boats hit the water.
Before the laughter fills the backyard.

I think we should pause. Because for some families, this weekend carries a very different kind of weight.

For some, Memorial Day is not just another long weekend. It’s a reminder of someone who never came home.

A folded flag.
A military photo framed on a shelf.
A name etched into stone.
An empty chair that still feels painfully noticeable years later.

It’s the wife who had to rebuild life without her husband. The child who grew up without a father or mother.
The parents who carry both pride and heartbreak at the same time.

Freedom has never been free. It always cost someone something.

As a military mom, Memorial Day has become more personal to me over the years. When someone you love wears the uniform, service no longer feels distant or abstract. You begin to understand more deeply the weight military families carry and the reality that behind every freedom we enjoy, someone paid a price for it.

So...Enjoy the weekend. Gather together. Laugh loudly. Make memories.

But before all of that begins, pause long enough to remember the men and women who gave their lives protecting the freedoms we so often take for granted.

Honor them not just with celebration, but with gratitude.

Amber