Given the liberty to take a shot at happiness

It’s the Friday of Memorial Weekend. We are a Gold Star family, so we think about Memorial Day differently than others. It used to be just a long weekend, but now it’s a long weekend with meaning. I was thinking about the thousands of Service Members who will be honored with flags and flowers this weekend and what their service might have meant to them. My thoughts went to freedom, and the one of the greatest documents of freedom ever written, The Declaration of Independence. The words “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” have always stood out to me as embodying the spirit of the document. As Americans, we do hold these truths a self-evident, and our Service Members, in their desire for these precious gifts, hold them dear. For in their service, they too are pursuing all of these and defending them at the same time. Those we honor this weekend were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for these truths. Tomorrow, we will also celebrate the Birthday of Seth and Terra Patient's son, Nikolaus Jay. Happiness is so wrapped around that little boy and the life that he shares with us. He is my constant and faithful reminder that life does go on, and those of us left behind are called to continue to pursue that life, liberty and yes, happiness. His birthday is a memorial too, as it serves to honor and keep memory alive. So tonight, we will toast to the pursuit of happiness, and the memories which fuel it. We are drinking something called a “Shot-O-Happiness”. Here’s to a safe weekend for all. CHEERS FRIENDS!
Recipe for 'A Shot-O-Happiness'
1 oz Goldschlager cinnamon schnapps
1 oz DeKuyper Razzmatazz liqueur
1 splash pineapple juice
1 splash sweet and sour mix
1 splash 7-Up soda
Combine 1 oz. Goldschlager, 1 oz. razmatazz, splash of pineapple juice, splash of sweet-n-sour with ice in a shaker. Shake and strain into a shot glass. Add a splash of 7-up.