Monday, May 31, is Memorial Day when we remember those who have fallen in the service of our country. Celebrated since around the Civil War, it is a way to remember with thankful hearts the men and women who have given their lives to secure our freedom. At one time the holiday was celebrated with parades down the center of most towns with flags on the graves of the fallen soldiers. Today, those big parades are silent now and the gravesites of those soldiers are long forgotten, unadorned with flags. Now, we hear the excited shouts of children as they jump into the swimming pool for the first time this summer.

However, pausing to remember the fallen soldiers helps us understand the high cost of freedom. Who is going to know unless we share those stories in our families? Have you shared the story of your service to our country? Were you a soldier in World War Two, the Korean or Vietnam conflicts, or another situation? Have you shared those stories with your family and children? Your stories will help your children and grandchildren get to know you better. And, your stories will give them needed guidance when they face hard times in their own lives.

Here is a picture of my grandfather as a soldier in World War on the way to the European Theater. There, as a young man seeing the world for the first time, he faced his fear of death and the hereafter and came to a realization that life was worth more than a quick glance. He celebrated the Lord’s Supper with fellow infantrymen in a foxhole one Christmas. That experience changed his whole life’s direction and he became a Christian missionary on both foreign and American shores, sharing the hope he had found in that foxhole, facing death.

This Memorial Day, take some time to talk to your family about their military service. Here are some questions that might help you get started:

When did you serve?
Where did you serve in a foreign war?
With whom did you serve?
What did you do in the service—in what branch did you serve?
What was your part in the history of our country?
How did the family left behind cope with your absence?
How did they play a role in supporting you and the war effort?
How has your service made a difference in your life?

You have a legacy in your family. The war years are a part of that legacy. For some of us, a family has given their own sons and fathers. For others of us, we can still at the feet of our family members and listen and learn, using those lessons as we live our lives in the 21st Century. Be sure to write them down so the stories will not disappear. Old photos can bring a new depth to our stories.