Memorial Weekend Thanks

I am thankful for national holidays - especially those that create long weekends. I am thankful for the men and women who have fought and continue to fight for this country - for the freedom of both those who support and encourage them, and also for those who protest, spit, and scoff at them. I am thankful for the memories of loved ones who are no longer with me, and for the way they have shaped my life. I am thankful for fresh watermelon. I am thankful for rickety swing sets and time spent with family. I am thankful for shared secrets with an old friend - someone who even though I don't get to see enough, can still finish my sentences or guess my thoughts. I am thankful for Ski on a long drive home. (If you don't know what Ski is, you are certainly not from God's Country, and have no idea what you are missing.) I am thankful for today, all the days before it, and the days that are coming.