Sunrise Freedom

As I came down to the lake a few morning ago, I felt so peaceful watching the sunrise. I was all alone, with the ducks, the geese, and my thoughts. Of course, I was trying to think of how to create a beautiful sunrise photo as I watched the sky slowly change from darkness to the beautiful sky seen here. My other thoughts were of the meaning of this Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is always bittersweet for me because of my great memories of celebration every year as a child, and handing down the same traditions to my two kids. For the last few years, my memories of this weekend are of my nephew Steve. Steve was just 19 years old when he joined the Army. When he was 20, he was stationed in Iraq. He was there for 4 months when he was killed on Christmas Eve in 2008. To this day, it is so senseless to me that we have lost so many lives fighting for this country. Steve was one of the best. A great smile, infectious laugh, funny sense of humor and I always loved having him around. So, as I am able to "freely" stand here and see another beautiful sunrise, I am giving thanks to those that paid the ultimate price and gave all!