About ten years ago this month, I made a trek to France and visited the beaches of Normandy.

It’s a breathtaking place. But in the midst of the beauty of the coastline is the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Spread out over 175 acres, nearly 10,000 U.S. soldiers are buried there. Row after row, in perfect symmetry, are monuments to Americans that died — many in the D-Day invasion.

There was something about that visit that has always stuck with me.  It made me appreciate the tremendous sacrifices that so many people made so that we could live in freedom today.  

Whatever our complaints that we may have about our nation’s legal system, let’s be grateful that we live under the rule of law, not that of a dictator.  If we don’t like a law or a decision, we can always petition our legislators for a change. 

So, on this Memorial Day, let us all give thanks to those who have given their lives so that we can live in freedom today.