in honor of those

the other day, someone noticed the POW bracelet that i wear. i don't often think that other people notice it or make comment about it, but when this man asked me how long i had been wearing it, it made be think of what it was that i was wearing.

it is something that i gratefully inherited from my father (served in vietnam) when he passed away a few years ago. it is something that he always wore and that i hold near and dear to my heart.

but then i began to really think about what this bracelet stands for...not my memories, but someone else's. it is a connection to someone's past, someone else's desire to fight for a country that they believed in, someone else who was at one point and may still be a prisoner of war.

by wearing this simple band of metal with the name of a long lost soldier, I am honoring both my father, the man whose name is emblazon across it (still listed as missing) and any person that is willing to put their life on the line for this country.

i mention this as we come upon memorial day and think of all the soldiers, past, present and future that have the courage to fight for what i think is often taken for granted. we are free and remain free because they choose to defend us.

so it is with loving remembrance, pride, and a little sadness that i will continue to wear this bracelet. each time it is noticed, i will not only remember my father, but i will remember what it means to be free.

happy memorial day.
thank you to all who have served and continue to serve.