More than barbecue and beer

Memorial Day weekend has become the marker of seasons. Temps don't matter, this weekend hits and summer has arrived.

For the 4th of July, remembering the purpose for the holiday is easy. Though the Declaration of Independence was not actually signed on July 4th, remembering that the holiday is about our freedom and democracy is easy because of the songs and the fireworks, etc.

The purpose for Memorial Day isn't so easy to remember. It's beer and barbecue, which is so much fun. But cookouts weren't the original catalyst for the holiday.

We are entitled to so very little. According to the Declaration we have inherent rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Service members, past and present, have spent / spend their life's work devoted to those very rights. It is their choice to sign on the dotted line, but it's a special heart that can say, "I will put my life on the line for these freedoms to which my country and its citizens have a right."

As you celebrate in your red, white and blue this weekend, surrounded by friends, family, the sweet scent of barbecue and refreshing beverages, remember that we get to do so because of those who have served and paid the ultimate sacrifice of their profession.

Memorial Day is for those who died for our right to vote, for our right to worship whomever we deem as worthy of our worship. Memorial Day is for those who died overseas and on our land. Memorial Day is for those who fight against evil. It is for those who died for our right to have our beer and bbq on a sunny Monday in May.

My point is not that you agree or disagree with whatever war we happen to be in. There are nuances to everything the human experience offers, and that certainly applies to war and politics. The heart remains, though. the heart that lives in these soldiers/airmen/marines/seamen/coast guardsmen who, without knowing you, your family or what you stand for, at the drop of a hat will go to defend you. You are an American citizen, and for them that is enough. And it has been enough for the millions of service men and women we have lost since the first war of this nation.

For that, we remember. We remain grateful. And we celebrate.