Choir Notes

Let Us Remember
From Music and the Spoken Word
Delivered By: Lloyd d. Newell • Program 4263

Scattered across the world are burial sites of those who have served well and even given their lives in defense of liberty and country. Whether they are found in a small hometown cemetery or a large military memorial, these graves serve as a reminder of the courage and commitment to duty of those who served in war and now lie in peace.

How can we say thank you to such heroes? How can we express our heartfelt gratitude for the men and women who have given so much in our behalf? Most of them were not seeking adulation, but there is something we can do that they would likely appreciate, a way to honor their memory: we can remember.

To remember is to build on the foundation of freedom they laid, so their loss is not a bitter end, but a beginning of better times. To remember is to read and share their stories, so their memory remains alive and fresh. Remembering means we strive to avoid making the same mistakes that made their sacrifice necessary. To remember is to think of them as they thought of themselves—not as heroes of extraordinary bravery but simply as regular people who recognized their duty and tried hard to do it.

In addition to an occasional flower placed by a headstone or an annual visit to a hallowed grave, we can reflect often on the price of freedom, the courage it takes to maintain it, and the men and women who had that courage and paid that price. Waving flags are beautiful, the call of the lone bugle is tender, and the sharp report of a gun salute is a great honor, but to be held in sweet remembrance is the finest tribute of all.