For some Memorial Day weekend is just another long weekend, the kick off to summer, and a chance to catch up with old friends. Looking at the bigger picture Memorial Day is a chance to think about so much more. Things lose meaning over time, and Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War so perhaps this is why we’ve lost touch with the actual meaning of the day. The day was created so military members were allowed to take a day of grievance without losing a day of pay.

Memorial Day always comes as a large day of country pride for me. I think about all that have sacrificed everything for me…someone they’ve never even met. Our military spends countless hours training, all hours of the day, in any type of weather, always keeping it in the back of their mind that they may have to make a sacrifice. For them it’s part of the bigger picture, part of a job, and most spend a life span dedicated to serving a country that isn’t always grateful.

Society has put the military in a negative light in the age of social media, whether it’s claiming that we are fighting unnecessary battles, or putting veterans on blast for the aftermath when coming home. Our veteran’s go through things that civilians can’t even relate to, but we think we have the right to point fingers and criticize. A right that we only have thanks to our military that spend their days fighting for our lives.

We don’t even think about what they go through daily, let alone the fact that even our veterans don’t get to come home with the people they became closest to. Memorial Day isn’t a day to thank veterans for their service, but a day to honor those who have fallen giving theirs. It isn’t a day to create unrealistic stereotypes about war, but a day to acknowledge personal sacrifices that were made ensuring our freedoms.

So although Memorial Day can be a day to celebrate with your family, remember that your freedoms that exist were provided by a soldier. Even if you can’t relate to losing a military person of your own, someone out there sacrificed a brother, father, sister, or mother fighting for the freedoms we take for granted every day. Remember that even though Memorial Day is nationally recognized, everyday can be a day to recognize the military people in your life, especially those who have given all and sacrificed everything.