Memorial Day, once again

I don't know that I could say anything more sincere than what I said here last Memorial Day. Describing it as a "favorite" holiday is the only thing I sort of wince at when rereading it. As holidays go, its meaning strikes me as important as any. But "favorite" would be a more apt description if I thought of it the way many I know do--as the official start of summer. For the record, I have no problem at all with those who think of Memorial Day that way, for I believe most of us still reflect on this day at some point about those who paid the ultimate price in protecting us, those in the military now, and those who protected us years ago. The posts from my friends on Facebook and Twitter support this, as did the large crowd at my small town's Memorial Day parade and ceremony. To echo what I've seen posted and heard throughout the day--Thank you to all those in the military now and those who served in the past.

As I noted last year, my family tree is filled with those who fought in the Revolution, in the Civil War, and in WW II. It is on this day that I think of them more than on any other. Last year, I described my father's cousin, who was killed on January 8, 1945 at the Battle of the Bulge. This year, I considered writing about one of several of my Revolutionary War forebears, but that strikes me as more appropriate for an ancestry post when that urge strikes me.

One does not need to have an ancestor in the wars of our nation's past to be respectful of this holiday. Nor does one need to be in the military, or have a family member in there now, to have a measure of appreciation for this day. Further, this holiday does not demand that you sit around and meditate all day, and it certainly doesn't mean that you shouldn't enjoy that day off off from work, that beach day, BBQ, beer, pool opening, or whatever. It just should hit you at some point that you were given much by the sacrifices of others.

Happy Memorial Day!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New York counties, and then some

Image
 <I wrote this while on a flight to Chicago around this time last year, and just noticed it in my drafts much closer to finished than I recalled... 😀> At the start of 2021, one of my two posts was about my progress for reaching every corner of New York: I had set the goal of doing something in each of the state’s 62 counties. By "something", I meant an NPS site, a state park, a sporting event, a brewery or something else (for me, "something else" included the Corning Museum of Glass, the Baseball Hall of Fame, Howe Caverns, county fairs, etc.). At the time, 55 of them could be considered done. Since I had updated my other post of early 2021 early in 2022—the great state border challenge—it seemed appropriate to update my New York county post too, especially since it's now two years since I've completed that quest. Yes, I went 62 for 62 in June of 2021, when my quest was completed with a state park and brewery in Chautauqua, the state’s westernmost c
Read more

Revisiting the great state-border-crossing challenge

Image
When I posted this at the beginning of 2020, the pandemic hadn't cut into any travel plans and I hadn't really identified paths to getting to the last bunch of state border crossings I needed. However, after crossing a few more in the last year, being close but not too close to a few others I was missing, and especially talking to more folks interested in this idea, well, the quest has gained some traction. One of the things that remains both fun and frustrating about this venture is how recently it came into my consciousness. Decades of road tripping led me so close to some of these state borders I'm still missing. If I had any inkling this would be something I'd end up pursuing, at least another half dozen crossings would have been completed. But it's also a reason to go back to some of these areas, which works well with other travel goals. After all, I keep finding more things to do in many states—NPS sites, ballparks, breweries, etc.—so I know I'll be plann
Read more

Tipping and ripping the cap

A belated tip of the cap to this year’s Baseball Hall of Fame inductees. I know the NFL and NBA Halls had their 2010 inductions more recently, and an eventual nodding of the helmets to the former may follow. It’s just that a recent conversation prompted this post. In this era of free agency, the need for players to don one team’s cap over another when their plaque is created seems to be something of a relic, especially when a player has left an indelible mark on multiple teams. Even if the bulk of his career or prime numbers rest mainly with one team, should that team be solely associated with that player when he gave another some great years? Conversely, if, say, a contract or personal quarrel leaves bad blood between a player and the team where his HOF numbers were earned, should that player have the right to select some team where he had less impact? Admittedly, most inductees do lean to one team or another in terms of career dominance, and Wikipedia, under the "Players with mu
Read more