Many times because we are not the ones paying the bill, we forget FREEDOM has a PRICE. Remember and honor those who are paying on our behalf. -(Lisa R.)

It’s Memorial Day 2014. A day we set aside to honor those who live everyday fighting, so that we can enjoy the comforts of freedom. This quote by Robert Reich sums it up pretty well, “True patriotism isn’t cheap. It’s about taking on a fair share of the burden of keeping America going.” To the veterans and current military I want to say a sincere THANK YOU, for taking MORE than your fair share, to keep our country safe for the this generation and those to come. God bless you. Today in honor of memorial day I decided to clean, (yeah, not sure how that merger came about either). For those who have read my previous posts you know my stance on cleaning, it is of the devil… 😉 . Okay, it’s not, but I dislike it immensely, which is why I believe God blessed me with a dust allergy it was His way of ensuring I would keep my surroundings clean. In my home we are currently consolidating getting rid of unwanted and unnecessary clutter (yeah, waaaay un-fun). I have been pretty lazy for the majority of this 4 day weekend that I have been blessed with, and with the impending doom of returning to work tomorrow. I thought to myself, “today is the day to tackle my closet”! I pulled everything from the top shelf and started to go through things one by one. Creating “keep it” and “thrash it” piles. Admittedly (at first) the idea of cleaning my closet sent chills and a feeling of impending doom down my spine. I started complaining about all my junk, and wondering how I’d manage to accumulate all this stuff, that’s when I found it, THE BOX (actual name… uhm I was ten when I named it, don’t judge). In THE BOX I have kept everything and I mean EVERYTHING that I deem special. I pulled out cards, and poems, and pictures and suddenly cleaning wasn’t cleaning. Cleaning had become a MEMORIAL. I remembered people, places, and events that I had pushed aside. I started crying when I found all the cards my best friend Linda had sent me, I knew she was awesome, but sitting now and reading the words of encouragement, and giggling as her hilarious personality shone through, I realized how blessed my life is.  I realized that every step of the way, God had placed people in my path to gently guide, and sometimes NOT so gently remind me of WHOSE I was. Today is a day to remember. Remember those who live every day in battle greens so that we can wear Marc Jacobs and fuzzy socks. Remember those who are way from their families, so that we can live comfortably with ours. Freedom has a price, and sometimes because we are not the ones paying it we forget. Today remember the COST, make it a MEMORIAL. 

“And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a MEMORIAL between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:9).

So what’s the plan? To remember.