Weekend Edition: More than Just Cookouts and a Day Off

Forgive my absence for a few days…this has been a long, rough, emotional week at the Hoekstra homestead. Our daughter was promoted to HIGH SCHOOL. You.all. I can’t even. It seems just like yesterday she was learning her alphabet, and now she’s going to be a freshman (don’t blink). Our son completed his last year at his elementary school, and he will be going to FOURTH GRADE. Time is not on our side.

While some look to this weekend as a way to learn more about grilling techniques, menus, drinks, and how to spend that extra day off, others remember the fallen. This weekend is somber in a sense.

In a previous post I wrote about the importance of a battle buddy. https://walkingwithmemphis.com/2016/12/battle-buddy/ While some of us may have that BFF, or ride or die, military members often have battle buddies that have been with them through thick and thin, or even to hell and back.

Memorial Day is so much more than just barbecues, celebrating with friends and family a day off work–for some, it is a hard day of remembrance. Battle buddies gone, missions where soldiers were lost. It can be difficult. There are memories that can come flooding in at any time for Veterans, and family members. Remember, not everyone will be happy or excited for an extra day off, let alone, excited to enjoy a grilled something or other–it can be hard.

I simply cannot put into words the struggle of losing someone to war. I cannot find the words to express how heartbreaking it is to hear of one of Sam’s soldiers taking their life. I struggle to find words to express how I feel on these “anniversary days,” mainly because I haven’t had the experiences.

I think this short video conveys what I cannot say. This is Mat Best. This video brings tears to my eyes.

https://www.facebook.com/mbest11x/ To find the video, simply look for Brotherhood: I Choose Life

“May we walk in the memory of those who forever hold the burden of our freedom…never forgotten.”