Monday, May 26, 2008, Nashville, TN., 6:32 a.m., D.S.T.~

Dear Journal~

Good morning!  Happy Memorial Day to each and every one of you!

Just woke up not even fifteen minutes ago; still trying to wake up here.  Glad you can't see me:  my hair's a wild mess (stickin' up all over, every which way! LOL), eyes glued together, face all puffy and covered with wrinkles from the pillows and sheets--you get the picture.  A sight for sore eyes; only a face a mother could love. LOL

Anyway, there's no school today.  I'm glad; there's only a week left, but I'm ready for it to end tomorrow!!  LOL  I can go back to sleep if I choose to (I doubt it; slept really good last night; was in bed by ten; it's now six thirty, just past), or I can get up.  I'll probably do the latter.  I might as well stay awake.

Today is Memorial Day, an important day for our nation, one of our bigger holidays.  This is why there's no school today, and a lot of people are off work.  (Including my daddy and my mom; they're both off today.)  Today is the official start of the summer travel season; lots of people will be on the road (not like usual, though, thanks to the rediculous cost of gas).  It's tradition.

There are also the sales, but that's not why we celebrate Memorial Day.  No, we're far from it.  We celebrate Memorial Day to remember our veterans who have gone on to Glory, those who died for our freedoms we enjoy today.  This is why we celebrate Memorial Day; it's all about the veterans and the sacrifices they've given of themselves (including their very lives) so we might remain free.

Oh, the sales, the picnics, and no school days are nice, but that's not what's important.  What's important is remembering the contribution our brave men and women in uniform have made; it is they whom we should honor today.

As the granddaughter of a veteran (my grandpere'), I have to remember.  My granddaddy may not have actually fought in the war, but he still served his nation, and he did it honorably until he was medically discharged.  Now he is very old, and yet he still remembers his time in the military, and he still thinks about how important it is to honor our veterans--and never forget the sacrifices made.

It's because of people like my grandfather that I'm free, and I thank my lucky stars every day that I am.  I could have been born in a nation where war is rampant, or born in a nation where terrorism rules.  I was not.  I was born here in the United States of America, where freedom reigns, where I can be whatever I so desire, where I can make my own decisions, wear what I want, listen to what I want, even be free to pray and worship my Lord.

What more could I possibly want?  I could go to college, learn to drive, be a doctor, astronaut, or a singer, or work at McDonald's flippin' burgers all day if that's what I want to do.  The world is my destiny, and nothing is going to stop me from reaching my goals in life.

It's all because of brave people like my grandfather who gave me the freedoms that I and millions of other Americans enjoy today, and it is them that I choose to thank on a day like Memorial Day, in particular those who have died for our country. 

Today before we go to the Memorial Day parade/ceremony, we'll stop at the veteran's hospital, pass out poppies and small gifts to the hospitalized veterans there, show them that we care and remember.  It's always a lot of fun to go there; to see the smiles or tears on those faces is worth everything in the world, and it makes me feel so special to know I am doing a little something to brighten their lives.

Well, I'd best wash up; I hear the rest of the family starting to rise, and we'd best eat and get ready before we leave.  We'll be gone just about all day.  I will write in here again another time.  Until then, this is Ronee' signing out of here.  Happy Memorial Day, and remember our veterans from ALL wars/conflicts, and the sacrifices they've made to ensure our freedom!

~Love, your gal pal, Ronee' Le-Anne. :) *SALUTE*