A Season of Remembrance

Thanksgiving (or Thanksgiving Eve for the younger folks) marks the beginning of the Holiday Season, the time of year when families and friends gather to celebrate each other, their successes, their futures, and their faith.  In every corner of our country there will be dried-out turkey, kinara, menorahs, and Christmas trees; there will be feasts and parties, hugs and kisses, countdowns and resolutions; and there will be renewed focus on our hopes, our faiths, and our families.

Sometimes, in the hustle and bustle of it all, wrapped up in wrapping and shopping, we fail to consider that our holiday experiences and traditions are not the same for everyone.  Not everyone has the privilege of gathering their whole family around the table.  There are too many families that will have an empty seat at their table this year, and have for many years.  They are the line of duty families that have lost a loved one in service of others.  They are the families that will never have their brother or sister, father or mother, aunt or uncle, son or daughter at the holiday table.  There will always be that empty seat.  Now, that isn’t to say that they won’t be there “in spirit” or in thought but is that the same as having your father watch you open the gifts under the tree?  Is that the same as the special dessert that your mother used to make?  Is that the same as the bad jokes that your uncle would always tell.  No.  No, it is not.

Consider the officer that was killed during the holidays.  How do you ever celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas the same way?

Now, the purpose of this post isn’t to bring sadness into your holiday, I promise.  The real purpose of this is to serve as an inspiration.  Let us be inspired to do our part in honor of those that are no longer with us.  Let us be inspired by their sacrifices to do more, to live more, to love more.  Let us be inspired by their families’ strengths to be better neighbors, and friends, and co-workers.  Let us renew our vow to NEVER FORGET those selfless heroes that came before us.

Yours in Service,

Jason Marsman

VP, BFTF NYC