Today is Memorial Day, a day that has different meanings to different people.

For some, it’s just a day off from work or school that gives us a three-day weekend. For some, it’s an excuse to fire up the barbecue for the first time or spend time with family and friends.

And while there’s nothing wrong with that, that’s not why we have a holiday today.

Today is about what it costs to live in a country that grants us the freedom to do those things. Today is about those who have given — as President Abraham Lincoln said in his “Gettysburg Address” — “the last full measure of devotion” in service to this country by giving their lives.

Today is about them. Today is about the families they left behind. They have paid the expensive price of freedom. And while we should thank them every day, today is a day set aside to specifically do that.

We hope that at some point, among the parades, the ceremonies, the barbecues and whatever else you may be doing today, you take a moment to thank those who make what we have possible.

To anyone who has lost a loved one in service to this country, we cannot ever understand what you have endured. But we can and do express our eternal gratitude and appreciation for them.

May the souls of those lost to military service forever rest in peace, and may God bless their families, their friends and this nation forevermore.