I went to see my dad’s headstone at the Military Cemetery this weekend. He is buried amongst some of our greatest heroes. I think he fits right in.

My dad worked construction in Vietnam as the war was ending. He cleaned up from the damage. He did not die in combat, and today is a day when we honor and remember those who did. But, my dad was the legacy for which those men and women did die. He was the hope, he was the one who would go home, hang up his uniform, and build a family and a future. He was the proof that what they did in serving our country counted, was valuable, and bought something that could never be priced.

When I sit this weekend, reading Grandpa Green to my kids, in front of my dad’s headstone, I remember that this simple moment with a picture book in front of us is the reason why. This quiet moment with my kids is worthy enough for someone else to have died for it.

And how can we be thankful for that? We can live. We can grow up. We can see the world. We can get married. We can have children. We can laugh. We can cry. We can simply go on.

Grandpa Green by Caldecott Honor Winner, Lane Smith is a tale of a man who sacrificed a lot because of WWII, but he knew men and women who sacrificed everything, and he got to go home to live in light of what he knew. And he gave the gift of remembering to his children, his grandchildren, and one great grandkid.

What are you remembering today? Comment below👇🏻

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