The Memorial Day Ceremony at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery honored those members of the U.S. military who died in the service of their country. The ceremony drew hundreds of folks, who remembered what had been given.

Yesterday, D&B allowed me go to the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery to take some photographs from the Memorial Day Ceremony.

I have placed several of those photographs in this blog post. Please take a look and let us know what you think in the post comments.

If you did not give it much thought Memorial Day might seem like something of a paradox.

Held the last Monday in May, its position on the calendar creates a three-day weekend marking — unofficially — the beginning of summer. In this sense, it is a celebration with barbequing, picnics, and outdoor play. Yet Memorial Day is, perhaps, the most solemn of American national holidays, created to honor and remember those who have died whilst serving in the American military.

But there is another sense wherein these two seemingly different emotions and activities follow neatly one to the next. If those soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines honored on Memorial Day had not acted, had not responded to freedom’s call, had not served and died, we might live in a very different world — a world not worthy of celebration. When on Memorial Day, we grill out, play catch with the kids, or otherwise enjoy the day, we are, perhaps, doing those things in honor of the fallen who make them possible.