Happy Memorial day

Who are you thinking of today? Our freedom's have never been ours without sacrifice. I know who sacrificed for me to live free. My dad, my uncles they took seriously this need to protect the freedoms I enjoy now.

My dad went into the Army as a teen. His dad signed the papers to let him go in early. Right away my dad was in a mess. The day he flew out 3 of the planes that took off that day crashed because of bad weather over the south. Survives were put back on another plane and off to Africa, from there to Italy where he landed in the most brutal winter they had ever seen. His unit was the first to reach the German border, held back to let the Russian's in first he must have been horrified once he saw what was over that border. He never talked of it, but we have photos with striking reminders of WWII.

My husbands dad stayed in the states and trained dogs. The dogs took messages around the battlefield. We are both proud of the flags put over their caskets at their burials.

My husband served during the Vietnam war in Korea. Our family has a history with freedom. Phil's family came from Ireland around the revolutionary period of the U.S. My family, the whole of it left Sweden for religious freedom. Phil's Moravian family left a troubled country to find freedom here in the U.S. Their immigration papers are precious to us.

We would not be the people we are without the freedoms of this county and the people who worked to serve it. I also think of Charles, a Canadian friend who flew some really important flights during WWII. Flights to save life, to preserve freedom.

I hope you will say a prayer of thanks today, remember all those who have served our country. Put a flag on a grave. Let your children know there is something so valuable, so precious, so vital to our lives that many have given much to protect it. Enjoy this freedom we love, it came at a great cost.

Happy Memorial day, have a joyful day.