[redux] The Memory We Carry Forward

On Memorial Day, we don’t just remember the fallen—we recommit to what they stood for.

[I am repeating yesterday’s post, honoring Memorial Day, as a fitting remembrance.]

Today is not just a long weekend.

It’s not about mattress sales or backyard grills.

It’s about memory.

And more than that—it’s about meaning.

Because Memorial Day is not a celebration.

It is a solemn recognition that the freedoms we enjoy were not inevitable. They were secured—often at great cost—by those who believed in something larger than themselves.

Some were drafted.
Some volunteered.
But all who died in service share something in common:
They gave their lives for the idea of America.

Not the perfect America.
Not the politics of the moment.
But the enduring hope that liberty, dignity, and justice are worth fighting for.

And that is where we come in.

Because memory, alone, is not enough.
The question is: What will we do with the memory?

Will we live in a way that honors it?

Will we steward the rights they protected, the values they defended, the country they believed in—even when it faltered?

Will we remember that patriotism is not a performance—but a quiet, steady choice to show up for one another, for our communities, for the unfinished work of democracy?

Memorial Day is not a day to speak loudly.
It’s a day to carry the silence well.

To pause.
To honor.
To reflect.

And to remember that the memory we keep is also a responsibility we carry.

Let’s carry it with courage.
Let’s carry it with care.

This is how we say thank you.