Week 29
Sacrifice
July 17 - 23
The idea of sacrifice seems to many a vague idea, a noble, even romantic notion read in a book or seen in a movie. An often misunderstood concept, sacrificing to many here in the U.S. means no Starbucks so they can give $20 a week to a charity. Please don't misunderstand me, I believe that type of offering to be a positive endeavor, and perhaps the only introduction of sacrifice to someone, by circumstance or fortune, otherwise sheltered from a direct personal experience of such. This is not to say there are those in this country that don't know real strife. In light of the last few years' recession, there are people that are fighting to feed or give shelter to their children or themselves, burdened with oppressive debt, and struggling with countless other things as a result, (directly or indirectly) of these economic times. But struggle or strife and sacrifice are different things. Sacrifice is a choice. A difficult, and sometimes painful one, but a choice nonetheless.
The dictionary defines the verb to sacrifice; "to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else." The willing foregoing of something necessary or important for the sole benefit of others. Freedom. Time. Life or limb. Acknowledgement, praise, comfort, health... all can be sacrificed for the benefit of others, and most of us do not know true sacrifice.
No doubt most everyone in this country knows a soldier, or a soldier's family. I believe whether you agree with the current conflicts or not is irrelevant. It's difficult not to acknowledge the sacrifices that these people are making. Traveling on business recently in Washington DC, I met two women that were both in town for their mutual friend's funeral, being held at Arlington cemetery. One a soldier as well, the other a close friend, both had known the man being honored for years. They had seen him injured in combat, and despite the opportunity to retire knowing he had sacrificed more than enough already, signed up to return and continue to serve. I was touched by the story these women told of their friend they had just buried, and impressed by their choice to celebrate his life and honor his decisions rather than despair or question his sacrificial choices.
On a daily basis, soldiers are killed under the U.S flag believing they are doing it for the sake of freedom, be it current or future, and I conclude that this, while not the only example, truly is a sacrifice. In this season between national celebrations and a holiday season where our soldiers are more readily remembered, I offer up a thanks to their collective and individual sacrifices.
image taken with Canon 5DMII, 24-105 4L lens, 1/3200 sec @f11, ISO 400
The idea of sacrifice seems to many a vague idea, a noble, even romantic notion read in a book or seen in a movie. An often misunderstood concept, sacrificing to many here in the U.S. means no Starbucks so they can give $20 a week to a charity. Please don't misunderstand me, I believe that type of offering to be a positive endeavor, and perhaps the only introduction of sacrifice to someone, by circumstance or fortune, otherwise sheltered from a direct personal experience of such. This is not to say there are those in this country that don't know real strife. In light of the last few years' recession, there are people that are fighting to feed or give shelter to their children or themselves, burdened with oppressive debt, and struggling with countless other things as a result, (directly or indirectly) of these economic times. But struggle or strife and sacrifice are different things. Sacrifice is a choice. A difficult, and sometimes painful one, but a choice nonetheless.
The dictionary defines the verb to sacrifice; "to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else." The willing foregoing of something necessary or important for the sole benefit of others. Freedom. Time. Life or limb. Acknowledgement, praise, comfort, health... all can be sacrificed for the benefit of others, and most of us do not know true sacrifice.
No doubt most everyone in this country knows a soldier, or a soldier's family. I believe whether you agree with the current conflicts or not is irrelevant. It's difficult not to acknowledge the sacrifices that these people are making. Traveling on business recently in Washington DC, I met two women that were both in town for their mutual friend's funeral, being held at Arlington cemetery. One a soldier as well, the other a close friend, both had known the man being honored for years. They had seen him injured in combat, and despite the opportunity to retire knowing he had sacrificed more than enough already, signed up to return and continue to serve. I was touched by the story these women told of their friend they had just buried, and impressed by their choice to celebrate his life and honor his decisions rather than despair or question his sacrificial choices.
On a daily basis, soldiers are killed under the U.S flag believing they are doing it for the sake of freedom, be it current or future, and I conclude that this, while not the only example, truly is a sacrifice. In this season between national celebrations and a holiday season where our soldiers are more readily remembered, I offer up a thanks to their collective and individual sacrifices.
image taken with Canon 5DMII, 24-105 4L lens, 1/3200 sec @f11, ISO 400
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