Dear America

"The mystic cords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart...should swell into a mighty chorus of remembrance, gratitude, and rededication on this solemn occasion."- Abraham Lincoln

 

Dear America,

I hope as you are enjoying the Memorial Day sales you remember. I hope as you travel to meet family and friends, you remember. I hope as you dig in to your hamburgers and hot dogs, you remember. I hope whenever you pass a soldier, you remember.

You remember that Memorial day is not about the sales, about traveling, or grilling. It's about those people who gave up their lives for one of the greatest things we own in the United States: freedom.

I don't think we remember that sometimes. That out there in the world, there is still such a thing as slavery. Whole states are starving. There is civil war going on. Some countries are so torn up by war, you can't recognize the difference between your brother, or your enemy. Some people don't have protection, they just have empty promises.

Yes, America, it might seem today that our government is worse than ever, but look how far we have come. We fought through the American Revolution to gain our independence from Britain. We struggled through numerous blueprints of governmental structure until we created the Constitution. We fought brother against brother to abolish slavery. We tore through two World Wars to protect others. We battled through racism, and took steps of peace towards equality. Even today, we fight for our rights.

This would not be possible without our soldiers; without those who gave up their lives for us.

So on this Memorial day, dear America, I ask that you remember and pray for all the soldiers, especially those who have died in battle. For it is because of them that we have our freedom, and our rights. It is because of them that we do not have to worry about our city being bombed. It is because of them that we live in the "Land of the free, and home of the brave."

All through Christ,

Maddie

"Cover them over with beautiful flowers, Deck them with garlands, those brothers of ours, Lying so silent by night and by day Sleeping the years of their manhood away. Give them the meed they have won in the past; Give them the honors their future forcast; Give them the chaplets they won in the strife; Give them the laurels they lost with their life." - Will Carleton