Memorial Day

I am proud to be an American.  I believe that I live in the best country in the world.  Sure there are problems.  There are some things that I disagree with.  There are views and practices that I wish didn't exist.  But, I live in a place where freedom has been fought for and won.  I live in a place where disagreeing with my government and expressing my opinion is not a death sentence.
We all can easily find the bad and exploit it.  Crime is everywhere and seems to be rising.  Poverty and homelessness continues to grow.  So, how can I say that I love this place and that it is the best country in the world?
I remember watching the jets fly into the World Trade Center towers.  I remember that gut wrenching feeling that brought tears of disbelief and grief to my eyes.  I also remember the people rushing into harms way to help others.  I remember the lives lost.  I remember the sea of American flags that blanketed my city, my State and my Nation.  There were no strangers.  We were a Nation of friends and family who stood up and stood together when it mattered most.
When I stand as one who served with the military, I feel humbled by the attention and the gratitude of others.  I think that many Veterans feel this way.  We served where so many of our brothers and sisters sacrificed all.  We did jobs to the best of our ability.  Honoring the fallen is much more than a tradition.  It is an expression of so much that is great about our nation.  Honoring their sacrifice is not for them, it is for us, the living.  Remembering that freedom is not free.  It costs dearly and has been paid for with blood shed and lost lives.