Armed Forces Day

There are some mornings from childhood that never really leave you.

For me, Armed Forces Day was one of them.

We lived on base then, and the whole day carried a different kind of weight. Uniforms were carefully pressed. Boots shined. Flags lifted in the breeze. People stood a little straighter.

My father marched beside men and women who had chosen a life of service, though as a child I did not yet fully understand what that meant.

I only knew it mattered.

I remember watching the lines move together in perfect step, and for the first time realizing that courage is not always loud. Sometimes it looks like consistency. Duty. Showing up again and again because others are depending on you.

Looking back now, I think that was one of the earliest moments God began teaching me what service really is.

Not recognition.
Not applause.
But the quiet willingness to carry responsibility with humility.

After the parade there were picnics and laughter, paper plates balanced on folding tables, children running through the grass while conversations drifted through the afternoon air. For a little while, the weight of the world seemed to soften.

But even then, beneath the celebration, there was an understanding that freedom has always been carried on the shoulders of those willing to stand watch for others.

As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to believe that kind of sacrifice reflects something sacred.

Scripture reminds us:
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” - John 15:13

And while not every act of service happens on a battlefield, there is still something holy about people who choose duty over comfort, commitment over self-interest, and protection over ease.

That day stayed with me.

Not because of the parade itself,
but because it was the first time I understood that service is one of the clearest ways love becomes visible.

-Eden