Remember and Honor

Memorial Day is a much beloved holiday for a couple of reasons. It's the unofficial beginning of summer fun after dealing with the winter doldrums. Thank goodness, heavy coats, hats, gloves and boots get shoved to the back of the closet! We get a three day weekend to get our outside spaces in shape and kick off barbecue season. The weather is generally not too chilly like April and not blazing hot like July and August. Flowers are blooming like mad and birds are chirping all over the place. It's wonderful!

All the welcoming summer joy is a good thing but somewhere along the way we've forgotten the real solemn reason for Memorial Day which originally was called Decoration Day. Most people ignore or discount the fact that this is supposed to be a remembrance of military people who died in service of this country. Our focus should not be on the cook outs or enjoying a three day weekend. We should be about honoring the fallen and appreciating their sacrifice...their ultimate sacrifice. But as usual, our eyes are upon the shallow superficial instead of the deeper soul stirring stuff. So this memorial Day start a new tradition and think about, for more than a hot minute, what this celebration should really be about. Teach your children about the sacrifices made, the price paid, so they could enjoy the life they live. Make a point of doing something to bring home the reality of lives lost in wars and the impact it has on military families as well as the protection it affords this nation. Our young people need to know these uncomfortable life lessons and not be constantly inundated with having fun. And we as adults need to always remember the real purpose for this commemorative holiday; honoring our fallen military and remembering their families. It is also a time for showing appreciation toward the active military forces and the living veterans for what they do or have done on our behalf.