Dear Readers: Memorial Day arrives each year wrapped in red, white and blue, but at its heart, it is a day of quiet gratitude.

It is the unofficial beginning of summer, yes. There will be hamburgers on grills, children running barefoot through backyards, flags waving from porches and maybe a little potato salad that sat out longer than anyone wants to admit. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the day. In fact, joy is one of the freedoms so many brave men and women fought to protect.

But before we rush into summer, let us pause.

Memorial Day is not simply a long weekend. It is a day to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. They were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors. They had favorite songs, inside jokes, childhood dreams and people waiting for them at home. Their sacrifice was not abstract. It was deeply personal.

The best way to honor them is not only with words, though words matter. It is with the way we live.

We honor them when we treat one another with decency. We honor them when we look out for an elderly neighbor, thank a veteran, teach our children what the holiday means, visit a cemetery, fly the flag with respect or simply take one quiet moment to say, "I remember."

We also honor them by appreciating the ordinary blessings that are easy to overlook: the family gathered around the table, the friend who calls just to check in, the freedom to worship or not worship, to speak, to vote, to disagree and still share a meal.

In a world that can feel divided, Memorial Day reminds us that love of country does not belong to one political party, one generation or one kind of person. Gratitude is something we can all practice. Kindness is something we can all offer. Service is something we can all do.

So this Memorial Day, enjoy the sunshine if you have it. Hug your loved ones if they are nearby. Call them if they are not. Put flowers on a grave. Wave at the neighbor. Let the small annoyances go. The traffic, the burnt hot dog, the relative who tells the same story every year — these are not problems; they are signs of life.

And life, as those we remember today teach us, is precious.

To the families who have lost someone in service to this country, we see you. We thank you. Your loved one's courage lives on not only in history books and monuments but in every peaceful morning, every safe homecoming and every child who grows up free.

May this Memorial Day bring comfort to the grieving, gratitude to the busy, unity to the divided and peace to every heart that needs it.

"Out of Bounds: Estrangement, Boundaries and the Search for Forgiveness" is out now! Annie Lane's third anthology is for anyone who has lived with anger, estrangement or the deep ache of being wronged — because forgiveness isn't for them. It's for you. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Follow Annie Lane on Instagram at @dearannieofficial. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

Photo credit: Isabella Fischer at Unsplash