Today I am thinking about yesterday but not the picnic with the family, which was indeed fun even with the torrential rains that came off and on.

I am thinking about all those who celebrated a day off work but not much else.

Every day, whether one reads a printed paper or sees news on-line or through the television, war is producing casualties. And not just in war zones, but producing casualties in 'peaceful' places where war has not been declared but skirmishes occur.

So yesterday was a day for millions of families with a day off work but also with a family member missing. Some permanently.

Perhaps we do a disservice to the military to have only one day a year to remember. Perhaps that keeps us from having to think too deeply about the daily sacrifices being made as we plan an outing with friends or complain that a blocked parade route has slowed us down from getting to our activity.

Keeps us from thinking that daily husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters somewhere, miss someone every hour of every day, every holiday, every graduation, every wedding, every anniversary, every life event that the rest of us may be taking too much for granted.

Freedom has never been free.

And that's what I think about it.