Offices are scheduled to be closed on Monday, fireworks are prepped and grills are just waiting to be fired up.

Memorial Day is a welcomed break from the daily grind, but before you head out to the lake or gather around the picnic table for a big meal, be sure to make a stop by a local Memorial Day ceremony.

It’s there you will find a reason to celebrate the holiday – the men and women who bravely served in the U.S. armed services so that we can enjoy beach trips and holiday get-togethers. Remember, as you stand beside them, those who made the ultimate sacrifice and didn’t return home to their families.

Some heroes will be present in their uniforms, some in armed service caps. Others may stand anonymous and silent in the back of the crowd. They’ll be a mix of veterans who represent every bloody military event between World War II and recent efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Listen to the speeches, bow your head as Taps is played and take in the sounds while rifles are fired in salute of those lost. Tell your children how important the men and women who protect this country are. The service won’t last long, but the feeling you take from it will last more than the day.

We are fortunate to be Americans and sacrificing an hour on a day off is so much less than the sacrifice U.S. veterans and fallen heroes have made for us.

Please start your day off with one of the services listed in the frontpage story of today’s edition of The Messenger.