Remember to live a life worthy of their sacrifice

This Memorial Day, take time to visit a local cemetery or offer support to an organization that cares for the families and graves of our bravest service members who never made it home from war.

For many Americans, this three-day weekend means backyard barbecues, trips up north, parades and the beginning of summer. There is nothing wrong with enjoying those traditions. Freedom is meant to be lived.

But Memorial Day is not just the unofficial start of summer.

It is one of the few days on the American calendar set aside specifically to remember our brothers and sisters who paid the ultimate price for freedom.

The day is not to be confused with Veterans Day, which is celebrated in November and originally marked the Armistice that ended World War I. That holiday celebrates those who answered the call to serve their country, whether or not they paid the ultimate sacrifice.

May 30, 1868, was the first time our nation collectively commemorated our fallen heroes in what is now known as Memorial Day.

But it was not until 1971, through an act of Congress, that the last Monday of May became a national holiday, a day to honor those who died serving our country.

Across Michigan, small towns and cities will gather at cemeteries and host parades. Some Michiganders will visit memorial parks and courthouse lawns. Veterans groups will place flags beside graves to honor the fallen.

Families will quietly remember absent sons, daughters, mothers, fathers and brothers whose memory never fully fades.

Most of those Americans were young. Some never had the chance to build careers, raise children or grow old. They sacrificed it all.

It is easy in modern America to become disconnected from that reality.

The freedoms Americans debate daily — speech, religion, self-government, freedom to pursue opportunity — came at a sacrifice that can never be paid back.

Memorial Day offers a rare pause to remind Americans of the fragile gift we have been given through the lives of those who served our country.

It is also a reminder that citizenship carries responsibilities in addition to rights.

Thousands of service members from Michigan fought and died in conflicts stretching from the Civil War to Afghanistan.

Their stories are not merely historical footnotes. They are part of the foundation that allows citizens to live freely today.

On this Memorial Day we should all remind ourselves to live our lives in a way that is worthy of their sacrifice.

The memory of the fallen should inspire gratitude, humility and a renewed appreciation for the opportunities we are afforded thanks to these brave men and women.

Enjoy the cookouts. Spend time with family. Celebrate the freedoms Americans still possess.

But also take a moment to remember why the day exists in the first place.