I‘ve had friends and family that served but I’ve been
fortunate enough to not know anyone that lost their life while serving in the
military. I am old enough, however, to
remember when the day to celebrate Memorial Day was changed from a specific day
(the 30th) to the last Monday in May by Congress. I have vague recollections of briefly talking
with my classmates about how strange it seemed and no doubt we quickly jumped
back into doing whatever junior high kids did back then. I’m certain we were glad we’d get a three-day
weekend out of the deal. Call me cynical, that’s okay, it seemed like the change
worked so well it became more like the “day the amusement parks open”, “the first
warm weather three-day weekend”, or “the start of summer sales” than a real day
of remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance became a necessary attempt as
a good way to put the memorial back in Memorial Day. All this was rattling
around in my mind as I browsed through articles and videos showing the various
ways people celebrate Memorial Day and I thought about the families that had to
carry-on after the loss of someone in the Armed Forces. Please take a moment to
remember our fallen heroes today but also take a moment to share a smile, a kind
word or two, and maybe a hug for those out there who are remembering their veteran
today.
