Happy Memorial day!

Just before bed last night I was walking through my dark house and this wave of gratitude washed over me. I am so thankful for where we live.

When I was 13 I took a trip to Washington D.C. and New York City with my girl scout troop (#1443 in case you were wondering). I was at that age where I was rebellious and discovering all the classic music from my parents generation like the Beatles, Country Joe and the Fish, and the Mamas and the Papas. When we arrived in D.C. I realized (in a 13 year old way) what all that music was about. I visited the Wall, I saw the gravestones that reached past the horizon at Arlington National Cemetery, I watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. I watched my girl scout leader who was an Army nurse find and touch names of her fallen friends, and I watched her weep for them. That trip made me understand what being an American meant.

So today as I enjoyed a beautiful day with family and friends, I wasn't taking advantage of a "day off"; I was celebrating the fact that I get to BBQ, laugh and be free to love who I want, free to have a drink on my deck, free to walk down the street, free.