I was just thinking about Memorial day stuff... I was going to post some photos on facebook but didn't want to get all sappy and in everyone's face about this stuff.Usually it's a day to hang out with friends, have a cookout, have fun. Usually people don't spend a lot of time at cemeteries remembering those we've lost. For some reason this year I'm thinking about my grandfather. Well, actually it's because my great-uncle (my grandfather's brother) recently and unexpectedly passed away. I realized too late that we never talked about my grandfather, I never heard any of their stories growing up and all.
When people talk about freedom and sacrifice and war, I never realized how much this affected me personally until recently. My grandfather's choice to join the Army and serve in WWII had a huge impact on three generations. My grandmother became a widow at 28 years old, while pregnant with my mom. My mom grew up never having met her father. I'm living in Germany, probably not far from where he was killed, not knowing too much about him at all.
So I guess when people talk about the cost of war, I know a little about what that means. This Memorial Day I'm remembering my grandfather and thinking about all those other children around the world growing up without a father, and all those young widows raising children on their own.
