Tag Memorial Day

Remembering What We Remember

Michael Leave a comment

Today is Memorial Day. You can’t forget. Across America every newcast’s open, every paper’s headline, every Internet site’s banner will include an exhortation for us to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom. For the past several years I have joined them here in this blog. Please take time today to remember those who did, and please take some time to remember why they did.

Getting close to 240 years ago, 56 gentlemen met in Philadelphia and declared the United States of America free and independent and in support of that pledged “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Eleven years later another group met for four months to frame the governing philosophy in the Constitution of the United States. Eight days later the first twelve amendments to the Constitution were presented. Ultimately ten would be ratified and known as the Bill of Rights. Over the next 229 years seventeen other amendments have been approved by the states.

These documents define the United States of America. It is to uphold these that every serviceman pledges his or her life to protect and defend. And in the 240 years that those ideals have been protected and defended 1,196,541 lives have been lost doing just that.

So take some time today and think of them. Then later on this week when you walk out of your house and go to your places of work and learning and worship, think of them. Then later this month when you take your vacation or plan your long weekend, think of them. And later this year when you go back to school or decorate for the holidays, think of them.

But please take some time before all that passes and read the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights and understand why those lives were lost.

You might find a whole new appreciation for them. (I’ll let you decide which the antecedent is.)

That’s what I think. Really. How ‘bout you?

Summer Sunny Preview

Michael Leave a comment

Today in the U.S.A. is Memorial Day and before we go with another word let’s pause to remember all those who gave all they had to give so that we can continue to celebrate holidays like Memorial Day.

Around here, Memorial Day is also the “unofficial start of summer.” If you live close to the Equator you don’t need an unofficial start to summer; you don’t even need an official start for it. It’s summer all year long and apparently that’s ok with you because you’re still there. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere as deep as we are in the northern half of the world you’d maybe love to have a start to summer, even unofficial, right about now. Instead you’re waxing snowboards and servicing snow blowers. Let me say that if your upcoming winter is anything like our past winter you might want to consider chopping some extra firewood also.

So what does the unofficial start of summer mean. Well…it’s like those things that you’ve been waiting for all winter and spring can start happening. Weather permitting. What might they be you ask.

Here’s my list of things everyone should do at least once a summer. (Those reading in the Southern Hemisphere may want to save this list for 6 months or so.)
1. Plant something. Flower, vegetable, herb, tree, shrub. Be a part of the world Even if you live in one room on the 8th floor you can find room on a windowsill for a small pot with a colorful bloom or tasty herb.
2. Drive (or if you prefer, ride in) a convertible. Don’t have one? take a “test drive” at the local (or not so local) car store. You weren’t doing anything else after work.
3. Eat outdoors. The ideal spot would be in a piazza somewhere in Italy with fresh fruit, sharp cheeses, a bottle of chilled, semi-dry white wine, and strolling minstrels. But coffee and a donut on the deck will do. Just get outside and feel the nature that brought you that food.
4. Go to a baseball game. If you don’t like baseball, go with somebody who really understands the game. If you still aren’t going to like it, go for the atmosphere. Do some people watching, have a hot dog, get some sun and fresh air. It doesn’t matter if it’s a MLB game, a minor league offering, or a college or high school game, there is no other sports event like baseball.
5. Go to an outdoor concert. Parts of our city’s symphony orchestra put on free concerts in town on select days during lunch and the full symphony does a couple free evenings at a county park. In fact, the county sponsors several shows of a variety of styles throughout the summer. But if one doesn’t check the web-site one doesn’t know of them. Be the smart one and check your county’s website. Why? Because baseball games aren’t the only outdoor events with people watching and fresh air.
6. Go ahead, put on a pair of shorts. I don’t care if you say you wouldn’t wear shorts in your own back yard, at least wear them in your own back yard. Then you know summer is really here!

An even half-dozen things to do this summer. On me. You can come up with stuff to fill the other days.

That’s what I think. How ’bout you?

Don’t Forget

Michael Leave a comment

Today, all across America people will wake up, raise their flags to half-staff, pray for and remember those who have sacrificed time, bodies, and lives from the earliest battles of the American Revolution for the very freedom that allows us to raise our flags, then return to them at noon and raise those flags fully as we look forward to continued freedom throughout our county.

That’s the ideal for Memorial Day.  The unfortunate reality is that this holiday as with all the others has become a reason for a day off from work, to complain about not getting a day off from work, another weeklong sale for every retailer from car dealerships to drug stores, and to raise gasoline prices.  Are we being cynical?  Maybe a little.  But…

You only have to have been watching television for the past two weeks.  At least a quarter of the ads have featured Memorial Day Sales.  Special deals, special financing, special purchases, special hours.  It’s all happening this day only but because the savings are so big they’re making this one day sale stretch over most of May and half of June.

Yet while all this was going on, where were the Memorial Day stories?  Finally on Friday the national news outlets squeezed in a feature to close the newscast spotlighting a returning serviceman or how flags are made.   The local news might have picked up two stories spotlighting a returning serviceman and a part of a highway dedicated to a World War II fighting unit.

Today will start with the local news repeating those couple of stories they’ve been playing all weekend long.  But then there will be parades and at the end someone will play Taps.  There will be an honor roll read, cemeteries will get visitors, churches will hold memorial services.  And some will have not forgotten and raise their flags to freedom.

You see, what society has forgotten, people will remember.

Now, that’s what we think. Really. How ‘bout you?

 

Some Gave All

Michael Leave a comment

Happy Memorial Day!  If you really think about it, that is just so wrong.  For over 140 years, Memorial Day marked the day when Americans honored first those who died in the Civil War, then those who died in any war, then those who died.  The common theme is death.

Death, while just about always somber does is not always unhappy.  Many families due to distance or other circumstances only re-unite on the occasion of a death among them.  Quite often what began as sorrowful turns into a true celebration of life.  But “Happy Memorial Day?”  It still seems wrong.  Since the Americans started fighting as Americans in 1775, over 1.5 million Americans ceased being so other Americans would benefit from their sacrifice.

Sometime today the television news people will broadcast film of a cemetery lined with miniature American flags decorating simple crosses or markers.   Sometime today thousands of marchers will step off on a parade that will end at a memorial site where a bugler will play taps.  Sometime today you will open your Internet news or your local newspaper and see a picture of a color guard highlighting a member from each of the armed services.  Sometime today almost everybody will shed or stifle a tear because each of us knows somebody who played a part in us still being at liberty to watch TV, wave at the parade, or just explore our world. 

And sometime today we’ll forget why we celebrate today and just celebrate.  We’ll have cook-outs, play soft ball, reunite with family and friends, and have a good time.  And somewhere, 1.5 million souls will look down and smile, knowing what began as sorrowful turned into a true celebration of life. 

Happy Memorial Day!     

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?