Everyone is posting things about how Memorial Day is not about BBQs. It’s about remembering those who fought and died in so many wars. Everyone says hug a hero. Like the pictures of heroes on Facebook. I have no problem with that.
However, there are some heroes that have been passed over and forgotten. Those that did not bleed on a battlefield but were wounded nonetheless. Those who wake from nightmares or cry themselves to sleep.
They are wives, mothers, sisters, little brothers, grandparents, nieces and nephews, and uncles and aunts. They watched their family members who were soldiers leave to fight never knowing if they would see them again. They waited and hoped, sometimes for years, for word of their loved ones. They persevered. They kept the country running. They kept living life hoping just for another moment with that beloved soldier.
And no one has ever acknowledged their special kind if heroism. It takes a special kind of person to wait and believe.
So if you want to hug a hero and celebrate Memorial Day honoring those brave men and women then please hug a mother or a father, a sister or brother, any family member who was left behind to wait. Remember their sacrifices and bravery.
adriana pridemore 