Memorial Day started with a ward slip and slide and brunch 
It was at “Camp Heleman” a camp donated to the church (and community) for use by a member. 
Then we took our little family party to the lake. We were supposed to have friends join us, but due to sicknesses they weren’t able to make it. 
But we had a lot of fun with just us. 
Harvey loves my smoothies. The kids all thought his mustache was hilarious so of course they had to follow suit. 
We’ve been in the water pretty much every day since school got out (except Sundays) 
We’ve had a lot fun and caught up on a lot of chores 
Previous to this Memorial Day, I truthfully thought little of the meaning of the holiday. My family and I would go put flowers on Tom’s grave when I was younger (they still do, I’m just too far away to join them). Once my parents moved to Utah, I believe they occasionally take part in placing flowers on grandparents graves as well. It is a day to remember those who have passed, but it was created to remember those who passed dying for our freedom. Andy is touched when people recognize his service and wish him a happy Memorial Day, but he bites his tongue from saying, “it’s not for me, it’s for my buddies and many like them who never made it home.” He is indeed grateful for the gesture and thought from others, but the loss is too real for him. His buddy from SF keeps a metal engraved band of all of his fallen SF brothers. This year he posted that he needed a new band because his two inch long, four inch wide band has run out of room. This was pretty sad for me. Especially when I hear people talk to poorly of our country. They have no idea how blessed they are to be here. Do we have problems? Sure, but they sure pale in comparison to some other parts of the world. I saw a meme recently that said, “My boyfriend from the Middle East asked me what “woke” meant. When I explained it to him he said, “So basically you have it so good here you have to make up problems.” And that really rang true to me. If you read my talk from last week’s blog post, you will have read the importance gratitude has played in my life. This is one of those moments I want to take a pause and say how grateful I am for those who have fallen in the protection of this country and the values that we hold dear. Thank you for your sacrifice so I can celebrate Memorial Day safely and comfortably with my family. Thank you for your sacrifice that has allowed me to worship how I see fit. Thank you for your sacrifice that brings peace to my heart knowing that if we went to war, we would have valiant men like you defending our freedoms once again. I hope and pray it isn’t Andy that has to do that once again, but someone’s husband, son, or father has done it and never returned to their loved one. So for those wives, those children and mothers– thank you for your sacrifice as well. I could not imagine losing Andy.