Happy Memorial Day

 “Just Thinking”

Well, here we go, it’s finally that time again! Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer. The weather’s warming up, the grills are coming out, and it’s time to dust off those white loafers and chinos for a few months of stylin’ and profilin’. As we enjoy this three-day weekend with our loved ones, laugh and tell stories around the grill, and enjoy the in the sunshine, celebrating the freedoms that make these moments possible.


Let us never forget the true spirit of Memorial Day. It’s a day of reflection and gratitude for the brave men and women who have laid down their lives defending our country. Their courage, sacrifice, and service are the foundation of the liberty we cherish. May we always remember and honor them.

I found this poem over a dozen years ago and was immediately impacted by the message that the author shared.


Kelly Strong wrote this poignant poem “Freedom Isn’t Free,” in 1981 as a high school senior. The poem was a heartfelt tribute to his father, a career Marine who served two tours in Vietnam. It powerfully honors the sacrifices of military service members and has since become widely shared at Memorial Day events, veterans’ ceremonies, and patriotic gatherings across the United States.


Freedom Is Not free


I watched the flag pass by one day.

It fluttered in the breeze

A young Marine saluted it, and then

He stood at ease.

 

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

 

I thought, how many men like him

Had fallen through the years?

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mothers' tears?

 

How many Pilots' planes shot down?

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, Freedom is not free.

 

I heard the sound of taps one night,

When everything was still.

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

 

I wondered just how many times

That taps had meant "Amen"

When a flag had draped a coffin

of a brother or a friend.

 

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

 

I thought about a graveyard

at the bottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, Freedom isn't free!!

 

by Kelly Strong

 

God Bless our Veterans.

God Bless America

 

Let me know what you think.

​

@ChuckBarberini - #ChuckBarberiniRealEstate - @ChuckBarberiniRealEstate

@Golden_State_Guide_Service - @Citizen.Number.One


Location: Martinez, CA 94553, USA

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