What Memorial Day is all about

Yesterday I was laying over at The Doubletree Inn in Washington DC, not far from the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. The hotel was overrun with kids in red t-shirts. At first, I thought there was some sports tournament nearby or school field trip going on. For every kid running around there was a young adult or adult in a blue t-shirt with the word "Mentor" on the back. Turns out that the Doubletree was also the site for a convention for TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). TAPS is a program to assist and provide support for the survivors of those who have made the Ultimate Sacrifice for their country (you and me). Then I discovered all those kids were survivors of those who had died serving their country (you and me). As I was leaving the hotel after my layover, the kids and their mentors were returning from a tour. There were lots of hugs and I couldn't help but notice the tears -tears from the kids and mentors saying good bye, tears from the surviving parents seeing their kids enjoying themselves and tears from those of us standing around watching God in action. While the kids were touring, the Moms (and Dads) were spending time with their own mentors and getting support attending various seminars, etc. It's an amazing organization and more people should know what they do. TAPS is what Memorial Day should be all about.