Why 3pm will be the most important minute of your life this Memorial Day

It’s finally here. Memorial day – the unofficial start to summer. It’s the day 80 percent of us are too busy sitting in traffic heading to the beach, babysitting the barbecue grill and throwing back a beer to recognize all the fallen soldiers have done for us. Meanwhile, the other 20 percent recognize what  their fallen soldier has fought for, but struggle to remember that he or she is no longer there. Sounds crazy? Well, it’s not.

Time and time again it’s the survivors of the fallen that repeatedly tell me that remembering isn’t the problem; it’s the forgetting they aren’t there that’s the most painful. It’s never hard to remember what rights the soldier fought for. However, it’s the days you absent-mindedly set a plate at the family cookout only to remember your love won’t be joining that is hard. It’s the moment your grandkids say the silliest thing and you pick up the phone to excitedly call their grandmother forgetting that the call will go unanswered. The survivors will always remember the selfless act their fallen hero did for Americans. But they will forgot their presence can longer be physically felt from time to time. Meanwhile, 80 percent of us are too oblivious to notice their pain.

Thats why congress passed the National Moment of Remembrance act to honor those fallen heroes in another way. At 3:00 pm today, we are urged to stop everything for one minute to pay respects to those who served our country in such an honorable way. That means thinking about the major sacrifice soldier took when leaving their family, the sense of uncertainly they felt while on the battle lines and those they left behind who are hurting during those times they forget their loved ones are gone. At 3:00 pm today, you are urged to remember them, pray for them and thank them. It’s because of their selfless act that we are able to enjoy this unofficial start to summer.

And once the clock strikes 3:01 or anytime after that, make a conscience effort to support the widows, the children and other loved ones of the fallen as they continue to make sense of life without their family hero.