Utah celebrates Memorial Day with the right mindset
Every year, Memorial Day comes on a Monday towards the end of May. While it's typically filled with BBQ's, drinks, friends and laughter, this year brought us all something different.
With the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shutting down the country for two months, society is now getting a small sense of normalcy as states are slowly starting to reopen. But lost in that happiness was Memorial Day and what that day truly stands for.
The day is about memorializing, or remembering, all of those who've served in our nation's armed forces. From the men and women who've lost their lives to the ones who are still fighting today, this day serves as an honor for their sacrifice for the greater good as a country.
This day also symbolizes what the families and friends of these soldiers have gone through — all the triumphs and tribulations they've suffered in their lives as a direct result of our everyday freedom. Without the sacrifices they make for their own families, we might not be given the opportunity to love our lives the way we choose, so for that we salute them as well.
As our country enters another year of elections, we must always remember that first and foremost, we are all Americans. We are all truly on the same team and before we reach for hate, we must always remember what it means to be an American. We dishonor those who've given the ultimate sacrifice by reaching to hate and disrespect right away. As a nation, we must be better and it is on everyone of us to do so.
So, as Tuesday is now here and the events of yesterday become just a memory into what we look forward too happening once again, never forget why we celebrated in the first place. Never forget and live in their honor.