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By
Heather Long
It’s
easy to forget to about the true meaning of Memorial Day. So many of us spend
the three-day weekend at picnics, camping, barbecues or the swimming pool. It’s
the first full weekend of summer. For kids, it’s also so close to the beginning
of summer vacation they either spend their time wishing school were already
over or planning their vacations. In truth, this isn’t what Memorial Day is all
about—and at the same time, yes it is.
Memorial
Day honors those who have given their lives for our country—no matter what
service or what war. We honor our ancestors, great-grandparents, grandparents,
parents, siblings, spouses, and friends. They who serve and lose their lives
have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. That same freedom that lets us
plan barbecues, trips to the beach, long movies, or simply sleeping later on
Memorial Day Weekend.
On
Facebook, memes are floating around to remind people that Memorial Day isn’t
about your barbecue or picnic, and for some families, it’s always Memorial Day
as they mourn someone they have lost. But I think spending this weekend with
friends or family, indoors or out, through shopping or sleeping in, is a
celebration of personal freedom.
Take
a moment to reflect on those who have given their lives. Pay forward a kindness
to someone in the military or to the family of someone who serves. Then go out
and enjoy your life. The sacrifices of our Armed Forces are why we are able to
celebrate this weekend in the first place.
All
of these thoughts are going through my head as I sit at Comicpalooza this
weekend. With visitors expected to number over 50,000, not including the
vendors, artists, exhibitors, and media guests, the carefully dressed chaos is
easy to lose yourself in. From mid-grade to middle aged, visitors come in
jeans, t-shirts, costumes (both elaborate and simple). They shop, listen to panels,
stand in lines to meet television stars, comic book artists, authors and
more…but do you know what they all have in common?
Freedom
of expression. Freedom to play. Freedom. This is the benefit of living in our
society, I don’t think anyone should ever be shamed for exercising the freedom
so hard-earned by our Armed Forces, nor should anyone be made to feel less because
they like to have fun.
There’s
a line in my most recent book, Her Marine Bodyguard, where Brody ruminates on
what his life had been missing: playfulness, arguments, and make up sex. Remembering
those who died for us is important, but equally important is celebrating the
lives we have thanks to their sacrifice.
So
take your moment. Remember those who gave their lives, the families who lost
their mother, father, son, brother, sister, daughter…and to those who still
live, who still serve, and the families who still wait. Remember them, and be
grateful when you are out playing this weekend. Say a thank you when you sleep
late or turn on the grill. Remembering doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun, and
you shouldn’t enjoy yourself.
It
means don’t forget.
Someone is watching her…
Shannon
Fabray’s career in the art world is on the rise thanks in no small part to her
signature sculpture Her Marine. But
with fame, comes fans and some like to get closer than others. Coping with the
notoriety, Shannon doesn’t let the constant contact get under her skin until
one night, it goes to far and to Shannon’s horror, one of them is making it
very clear he wants the artist for himself and sees her as a possession that
should be added to his collection.
He’s coming home…
After
dozen years in service to his country, Lieutenant Brody Essex has lost count of
the missions he’s run, the hours he’s spent in the field and the number of days
he’s been out of the country. Budgetary issues freeze his promotion, and his
unit is left on the ground in Afghanistan, but he makes it work because the
only countdown that matters to him is the one that will bring him home. Home to the artist that carved a niche in his
heart. When bureaucratic snafus hold up his paperwork, he sucks it up until a
phone call alerts him that Shannon’s loft has been broken into, and she was
nearly kidnapped.
Breaking all the rules…
Now Brody will break the
rules and go AWOL, heading home without permission because his girl is in
danger and she needs her Marine bodyguard….
#decadentpub, #HVLong, #AlwaysaMarine
1 comment:
Great post!
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