After all, it's MEMORIAL Day...

It's one of those double-edged things that we usually neglect to see in life whether it's people or events; the element that makes someone or something great frequently makes it tinged with negativity.

As Obadiah Stane said of Tony Stark in the first Iron Man movie: "You know the great thing about Tony is also the worst thing about Tony---he's always working..."

Donald Trump may be great at making millions, but with that ability comes a package of traits most would, or at least should, not want to be around or emulate too much. Greed isn't good, Mr. Gecko.

But this idea of the mixed bag relates to this weekend and Memorial Day. Seems every chance a citizen of planet Earth gets he parties, especially on holidays, holiday weekends and those events related to holidays or holiday weekends.

Now I'm not suggesting that we all drag our knuckles around raw in melancholy solemnity 24/7 every chance we get. Being negative, woeful and sad isn't healthy and in this case of Memorial Day it insults those who paid the ultimate price so we can be happy in embracing our freedom to do whatever we want to do in life (or at least try to).

So the point is this: what's great about America is also at times the worst because our millions of citizens find it too easy to ignore or barely give notice to taking time to genuinely remember and thank God for those who gave their lives for us. For so many of us it's all too easy to go and buy flag-smacked cookies & cupcakes, have a giant glutenous BBQ, guzzle down as many beer and soda specials as we can, and treat this as just another long weekend to stock up on the self-indulgence of freedom most of us had little to do with sacrificing to attain.

I'm not asking you to feel guilty as all get-out and cry your eyes out this weekend. But I am asking you to stop and do two things:

-pray to God and thank Him that you are a citizen of this country and to realize how much worse-off you could be elsewhere (let's just say Yemen, Iraq, Iran, China, Syria)

-think about the name of this weekend and why it's called Memorial Day Weekend

I repeat let's enjoy it; let's have a BBQ or a get-together, or not, and just enjoy finding solice with our significant others, or just our families, or watching baseball, or one of the races running this weekend, or whatever it is you get a charge out of doing in life---just do it. Those that sacrificed their lives (and those vets that have passed on since their service time) would appreciate that, and most would do the same if they were still alive. But let's observe, even privately if need be, what a gigantic blessing we have to be a citizen in a freedom-wrought, peaceful country as this, and why.

You veterans, all the way from the 1770's to now and beyond, our thanks, and you indeed deserve at the very least, this Memorial Day Weekend in your honor.

Peace.

Tim