Happy Memorial Day?

For whom is it a happy Memorial Day? It certainly is not a happy day for those who lost a mother, father, brother, sister, grandparent, cousin, or friend while fighting to defend our country/ to protect the human rights of those oppressed in other countries. No matter how proud the families of the fallen are, they will never get to hug that person or see their smiling faces again. Memorial Day is a day of remembrance and thankfulness to men and women who sacrificed their lives for people they never even met. 

What is happy about this day? It’s being able to celebrate and enjoy all the freedoms we have been blessed with. In the Constitution, our Founding Fathers included that citizens should be afforded free speech and expression of ideas. For 250 years, the men and women in our military have risked their lives to defend and protect this same Constitution.

As a writer, I truly value my freedom of speech and expression. To me, it means that I can create whatever fictitious story I want and publish it without fear of government censorship or of being arrested. Over the years, numerous authors from other countries have been censored, arrested, and have even received death threats after publishing their novels. 

On this holiday weekend, like many other Americans, I might share a hamburger at a family barbecue at the beach (provided it doesn’t rain). However, during this time, I will be especially grateful to those who have died to protect my livelihood and to create stories without fear of being punished. I will say a prayer for all the families who have lost a loved one and for those in the military who are currently overseas protecting our freedoms.

My fellow writers, during this Memorial Day weekend, I hope you too will use your gift of language and words to show appreciation and to recognize our fallen heroes and their families. 

Thank you to all those who have sacrificed their lives to protect the freedoms and rights guaranteed to us by our Constitution.

God Bless America!

Shellie

Where the rhythm of the road meets the rhythm of the page…