josephene

One of the purest sources of happiness for me is finding a common ground with another person and sharing a special bond between myself and them. From something as little as a made up word that only the two of us understand, to something as a shared vacation that birthed an endless stream of inside jokes that no one else would ever understand or laugh as hard as we would. I am very fortunate to have this sort of bond with every single person in my life.

My Uncle Gary is in my thoughts today. This man is incredible. Married into our family 17 years ago to my favorite aunt, he's the sweetest, kindest and most generous human I have ever come across. There isn't a mean word in his vocabulary. He's one of those people who say something completely off the wall, then he laughs at himself until you're laughing along. Great, great guy.

My bond with my uncle is that every Memorial Day, I write him a letter to tell him just how much I appreciate what he's has done for our country, as a Vietnam Veteran. He's the only member of my family that has served, and no one else shares this gesture with him but me, and that makes me feel incredible. Seeing him after the first card arrived, he had tears in his eyes as he hugged me. A simple gesture on my part, had this profound effect on this man. No one else in the family knows but him and I...and that's just the way I love it. It's ours.

So, I share this with you, because I challenge all of you, understand the meaning of Memorial Day, and celebrate it accordingly. Monday, I'll have the honor of being the emcee at the VFW to not only honor those who serve in the military, but those who protect and serve locally.

Freedom is earned...honor those who protect it. My two cents...