"HAPPY" Memorial Day

Today was shabbos. My husband went to shul, as did some of my kids. People in our area could walk to and from shul wearing their tallis. We made kiddush without fear of arrest . We ate kosher food that is fairly easy to attain. Life as a religious Jew here is basically easy. Compare that to Communist Russia, where people were killed for making a bris on their son. Kosher food, shabbos, mikvah, learning Torah, all those made you an enemy of the state. The stories of what happened to Yidden there are both heart breaking and inspiring. You can compare our life to Jews in any other country in history, and I think living now a day in America would win out as first choice.
Yesterday when I went out, I brought my trusty little friend with me, Ms. Ruger. I saw a bumper sticker that said RESIST. That person is able to criticize our government without fear of disappearing in the middle of the night.
In other words, we, in America, are FREE. We are free to speak our minds, gather together, practice our religion, carry or own guns, and much more.
But as the saying goes, freedom isn't free. It's paid for with blood. The blood of soldiers who died for these freedoms.
Memorial Day is set aside for us to remember those who have fallen. Take a minute to think about some of the freedoms we have that others only dream of. Monday at 3pm is supposed to be a moment of silence in memory of these brave men and women. Let's respect their memories, and most especially, don't let their sacrifice be in vain.