We Celebrated Memorial Day!

The weather here was beautiful and I spent a very quiet day at home alone. My husband was enjoying a camping/hunting trip with his son on the other side of the state and taking breathtaking photographs. It was the first memorial day I have been alone in many years - if ever. It gave me TIME to pause and truly think about what Memorial Day means to me, what I have been taught and how we have celebrated this holiday over the years.

I sadly have to admit I did not truly keep in mind with thoughtfulness the reason we celebrate this special day. And I have to admit, I am not sure I instilled the true meaning of this holiday to my children over these many years. 

We always took advantage of a three day weekend and the decorated with the colors of the red, white and blue. We shared good food and much needed family time. This was always a time to end a school year or would be getting very close to the end. I know there were many years that the teachers of my children would make crafts and read stories of history to teach the lesson. We always used the word “remember” during the weekend festivities.

There was a very special year where the principal at our school coordinated an incredible flyover and ceremony to remember the fallen and to also honor those served and serving. My mother attended in honor of her late husband and our Grandpa Joe attended with pride and deep emotion.

"Home of the free, because of the brave." –Unknown.

I have spent the last few days reading about Memorial Day in the United States. I have many military family members and I am married to a veteran. I will, in the future, be more intentional in my “celebration” of this most important holiday with my family.  

Every year in the United States, Memorial Day calls for the public to remember and honor those who have fallen in the service of the Armed Forces. It is celebrated on the last Monday in May, and is regarded by some as the unofficial beginning of the summer season. While Memorial Day itself is well-known among the general public, the history that went into the creation of the Federal holiday has often been overlooked.

- The Reagan Library Education Blog