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I Remember

When I was 14 our family moved from a thriving suburb of Los Angeles to the very small town of La Porte Indiana. It was quite a culture shock, but we survived. Everything from the music, to the way we dressed, to the safety we felt, was different in the midwest. We arrived ahead of cable television and MTV so the west coast fads rarely if ever made it there. It seemed like a different country and when we first arrived, one of my new friends even asked me how I liked living in the United States. 

Everybody Knows Your Name

My parents bought an old abandoned home that was a local landmark. Everybody knew the house, so everybody took note when we moved in. We arrived on May 1st, and spring was in bloom. At the end of our first month, we were invited by our new friends and neighbors to attend the local Memorial Day celebration. I don't think any of us knew what to expect as we had spent previous Memorial Days at the beach or the Dodger game when they were in town. We would drive by the military cemetery in Los Angeles, but I don't remember ever attending a celebration.

The festivities began at 8:00 AM at the court house. The local VFW provided a stirring program and then we all moved to a local park to spend the rest of the day together. It really did seem like the whole town was at that park. Everything we did there was focused on remembering the sacrifices of those who gave their life for our freedom.

It was a stirring feeling to be with these townspeople who respected and remembered the sacrifices of our service men and women so prominently that day. Despite our newness to the town, we became an instant part of the community. The struggle we felt in the first month to fit in, melted away and we proudly stated that we were now from La Porte Indiana.

Today – I Remember

I am living in California again. Even though I am in a small town, there is not much going on to remember those who paid the price for our freedom. There are a few small celebrations planned, but they have been poorly advertised and will be poorly attended. 

There will only be a few flags flown but we will raise ours. I will take the time to say a few words to my children and we will remember our ancestors and their fellow freedom fighters. We cannot comprehend all that they did for us, but we can give thanks. I realize that doing so is not enough, but it is all those who sacrificed ever wanted. They did not do what they did to win a prize or become famous. The did what they did to protect the values our society holds so dear.

Those values are always being tested, and some are even being forgotten. We will not allow that to happen in our home. Freedom is too precious to forget. These values will be remembered, we can either do it voluntarily, or we will lose them and be required to fight for them again. 

I choose to remember. I hope you will join me in the active pursuit of ensuring that we never forget. Raise your flag!

Live Today! Love Today!

Andrew Thorn

760-559-3548

Tags: Freedom, The Authentic Me

This entry was posted on Monday, May 31st, 2010 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Agency, Legacy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.