Freedom is Not Free

I know it's late and I still have a few things to get done with my internship, but I couldn't not post something about the incredible sacrifice so many have made for our country on this Veterans Day. I even thought about this last night after I went to bed and remembered a couple of trips to Washington DC that I think for the first time really made me understand just how many lost their lives for the freedoms I take for granted everyday. I really can't describe the feelings in my heart as I think back to the monuments honoring all those killed fighting for our happiness and way of life. Not to mention the untold sacrifices our Veterans' families, friends, and communities made. I posted a few of my favorite pictures from our Washington DC trips that remind me of how grateful I am to live in this choice and promised land... the haunting faces at the Korean War memorial, a massive Lincoln overlooking the entire "Mall," the simple and yet powerful Vietnam Memorial with thousands of names etched forever, hands reaching up to raise the flag as a symbol of freedom and perseverance at Iowa Jima, and the long overdue and absolutely breathtaking World War II memorial with it's wall of stars representing the tens of thousands killed and the beautiful fountains. I remember seeing WWII vets in wheelchairs surrounded by family sobbing at the memory of lost buddies and the horrors they saw to which I can never begin to imagine. But the most impressive part of this whole experience was seeing how many times thanks and praise was given to God in the memorials, acknowledging our Heavenly Father and his love and compassion on His children and the faith and hope of millions that He would protect them and the freedoms they sacrificed their lives for. May God bless America!